Eastern Airlines enters air cargo market with ‘freighter-light’ model

Friday, September 03, 2021 at 03:00 PM ET

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Eastern Airlines currently operates a fleet of 10 Boeing 767s. It has acquired a large number of Boeing 777s it plans to fly for dedicated cargo customers. Courtesy Eastern Airlines

Key Takeaways:

Eastern Airlines is entering the air cargo market with a unique "freighter-light" model, stripping seats from 35 acquired Boeing 777 passenger aircraft to create "Class E freighters" without full structural conversion.
This strategy targets the e-commerce and express delivery sectors, focusing on low-density freight such as apparel and electronics, with services slated to launch in the first quarter of 2022.
The airline's approach leverages the 777's main deck volume to offer greater capacity than typical "preighters" at lower unit costs, despite potential challenges with more labor-intensive loading through narrow passenger doors.