Air Canada
Inside an Air Canada Boeing 777-300ER.
- Air Canada is taking its cargo-only flights to the next level with Boeing 777-300ER aircraft reconfigured to hold cargo in passenger cabins.
- The process entails removing economy and premium economy cabin seats to store additional cargo, bringing the aircraft's total freight capacity to nearly 90 metric tons.
- Three aircraft will receive the temporary conversion with the first two already being deployed to cities in Asia.
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Air Canada, like many global airlines, decided to make the shift to cargo-only flights once the demand for passenger travel dried up.
Without a dedicated cargo fleet, the Canadian flag carrier began flying its passenger jets with underbellies full of freight and empty passenger cabins above, until the potential of the underused cabins was realized.
To maximize cargo capacity on its largest jets, three Boeing 777-300ER planes will have their passenger seats removed to create more space for potential freight. While airliners are no stranger to cargo conversions, as seen with many of the freighters flying today, this temporary setup will preserve the cabin's integrity while the cargo is flown.
The reconfiguration process is currently ongoing with two returning to service after the short stay near Montreal at Mirabel Airport.
The trio will deploy to global destinations primarily in Europe and Asia to bring home well-needed medical supplies as Canada weathers the COVID-19 that's hit close to home with nearly 25,000 reported cases, including the First Lady of Canada, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau.
Take a look inside Air Canada's new Boeing 777-300ER freighters.
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