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Lufthansa Technik found an interesting market niche during these new times of coronavirus: that of temporary conversions of passengers to cargo aircraft. And it appears that an unidentified customer is asking for a quote for the conversion of an Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger jet.
In a note posted on its website, the company confirms that, so far, its cabin modification business unit has received inquiries from more than 40 airlines and more than 15 projects are already being implemented for different types of aircraft. . However, the highlight is due to an operational change request for a first Airbus A380.
“In the past few days, we have noticed a great deal of interest from different airlines regarding passenger to freighter conversions,” said Henning Jochmann, senior director of aircraft maintenance and modification at Lufthansa Technik. “Because the scope of work is so much more than just taking a seat, you need engineering experts who know exactly what the challenges are and how to document technical solutions so correctly that aviation authorities agree.”
Typically, an aircraft that has received an approval for passenger transportation cannot simply be loaded with cargo in the cabin, as the approval criteria for passenger cabins and cargo compartments are completely different.
For example, the cargo plane has a different floor, that is, the structural capacity of a passenger plane is less than that of a cargo plane. While rescue passengers must be kept clean and the oxygen supply must be guaranteed for each individual in the transport of passengers, 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 duly qualified and approved engineers.
Lufthansa Technik is currently working hard to obtain licenses for all the most common types of aircraft, so that airlines around the world can quickly convert their passenger aircraft into auxiliary freighters.
The customer in question was not disclosed and, with so many Airbus A380s detained around the world, it is even difficult to guess. We could spend hours talking without reaching a conclusion, so the best thing at the moment is to wait.
But it is important to remember that the A380 in question should not be completely converted to air cargo, according to the note, but that the process should be temporary.
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