Lufthansa Technik Busy with Passenger to Cargo Conversions; Including an A380

Lufthansa Technik has reported that it is currently working on 15 projects to temporarily change passenger aircraft into cargo planes.

The cabin modification experts say they have also received enquiries from more than 40 airlines, and are even working on the operational change of an Airbus A380 for an undisclosed customer.

Normally, an aircraft that has been granted an approval for passenger transport cannot simply be loaded with cargo in the cabin, as the approval criteria for passenger cabins and cargo compartments are completely different.

For example, cargo has a different floor load, i.e. the structural load capacity of a passenger aircraft is lower than that of a cargo aircraft.

For passenger transport rescue routes must be kept clear and the oxygen supply must be ensured for each individual, while special fire protection measures must be taken on board a freighter.

All these criteria, and some more, must be taken into account and incorporated into the technical documentation by suitably qualified engineers and approved.

"Over the past days, we have received strong interest from different airlines regarding our passenger to freighter service capabilities," said Henning Jochmann, Senior Director Aircraft Modification Base Maintenance at Lufthansa Technik. "As the workscope comprises much more than just taking out seats, you need engineering experts who know exactly what the challenges are and how to document the technical solutions so correctly that the aviation authorities agree. The current exemption and our solution for it can be transferred to our Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) at a later point of time without major adjustments. This means that anyone who opts for Lufthansa Technik's exceptional solution now can easily switch to the permanent STC solution later."

Lufthansa Technik is currently working to obtain STCs for all common aircraft types so that airlines all over the world can quickly convert their passenger aircraft into auxiliary freighters.

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