Korean Air Converts Boeing 777-300ER into Cargo Plane

For the first time, Korean Air has deployed a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft reconfigured for cargo route operations.

The flight KE9037 left Seoul at 22:00 on 8 September and arrived at Rickenbacker International Airport, Columbus, Ohio, at 22:00 the same day.

With the removal of passenger seats in the cabin (42 prestige seats, 227 economy seats), the converted Boeing 777-300ER aircraft can load an additional 10.8 tons of cargo. The belly space of the aircraft can carry 22 tons of cargo.

Modification of the aircraft to load cargo in the cabin requires a high level of technical review and competency. It’s not just about taking out passenger seats, but also about removing complicated in-flight electrical wiring and installing standardized locks on the floor to keep cargo secured.

Korean Air has been flexibly responding to meet market cargo demand by actively using the belly space of its grounded passenger aircraft such as Boeing 777-300, Boeing 787-9 and Airbus 330-300.

From April to September 2020, an average of 420 cargo-only flights a month were operated on passenger aircraft, with the average monthly transport volume reaching 12,000 tons.

In June, Korean Air began to transport freight in Cargo Seat Bags, a safety device installed on passenger aircraft seats, to simultaneously increase the cargo supply and reduce the parking charges for idled aircraft.

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