Air cargo aircraft is an aircraft specially used to transport goods. It is an indispensable part of the modern global logistics and supply chain. They quickly transport high-value and timely goods all over the world, supporting many key areas such as global trade, e-commerce and emergency material transportation.
The following is a detailed introduction to air cargo aircraft:
Main types
Air cargo aircraft can be mainly divided into the following three categories:
1. Full cargo aircraft
· Definition: It has been specially used to carry goods from the beginning of the design, and its fuselage structure, hatch, floor, tethering device, etc. are optimized for the goods. There are no cabin windows, seats, luggage racks and other passenger aircraft facilities.
· Characteristics:
· Large cargo door on the upper part of the fuselage: usually located in the front or rear fuselage, which can be opened upwards, which is convenient for quick loading and unloading of large containers and cargo plates.
· Stronger fuselage structure: the floor and fuselage structure are stronger to withstand the centralized load of heavy cargo.
· Built-in loading and unloading system: equipped with rollers, guide rails, winches and other equipment to facilitate the movement of goods in the cabin.
· Examples: Boeing 747-8F, Boeing 777F, Airbus A330-200F, Antonov An-124.
2. Passengers change to cargo aircraft
· Definition: Modify the decommissioned civil airliner, remove the seats, kitchen, luggage rack and other facilities in the cabin, strengthen the floor, and install a large cargo door and cargo loading and unloading system to transform it into a cargo plane.
· Characteristics:
· High economy: Make full use of the surplus value of second-hand passenger aircraft, and the cost is much lower than that of newly built full cargo aircraft.
· Market mainstream: At present, a large part of the cargo fleet is modified from Boeing 757, Boeing 767, Boeing 737 and other models.
· Example: Boeing 757-200PCF, Boeing 767-300BCF, Airbus A321P2F.
3. Passenger and cargo mixing machine
· Definition: The front cabin of the aircraft is set up to transport passengers, and the rear main cargo cabin is used to load goods. At the same time, the lower abdomen compartment is also used to load bulk cargo and luggage.
· Features: It can carry both passengers and goods, which improves the utilization rate of the aircraft. It is common in the side business of some passenger routes.
2025/9/9