United Airlines’ inaugural cargo-in-cabin flight has commenced operation from London Heathrow (LHR) to Chicago (ORD) carrying over 4,200 lbs (two tonnes) of mail in the passenger cabin, plus a full payload of freight in the belly of the aircraft.
The flight follows the recent approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to carry cargo in approved storage areas in the passenger cabin.
Initially, cargo-in-cabin shipments will be loaded on the B777 and B787 aircraft operating United’s cargo-only flights.
Liz Woolmington, United Cargo Senior Regional Manager – Europe, Middle East, India and Africa, said: “At United, we are doing everything we can to keep supply chains moving and meet the demand for critical shipments around the globe.
“By loading our existing cabin storage areas with cargo and mail, we can move even more critical medical equipment and other vital shipments the world needs to manage through the pandemic.”
United’s cargo-only network currently offers services between six of its US hubs and 18 airports worldwide.
Since the start of its cargo-only flights programme on March 19, United has operated over 1,300 cargo-only flights transporting over 44m lbs (20,000 tonnes) of cargo.
