Emirates offers 17T addt'l capacity on 10 B777s by removing economy seats

June 26, 2020: Emirates has introduced 17 tonnes or 132 cubic metres additional cargo capacity in each 10 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft by removing economy class cabin seats, which is on top of the 40-50 tonne cargo capacity in the belly hold of the widebody passenger aircraft.

Demand
Emirates SkyCargo reported that the development is due to strong air cargo demand to essential like personal protective equipment (PPE), pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, food and machinery around the world.

Routes
The modified B777-300ER aircraft are being deployed on routes to key production and consumer markets where it sees maximum demand for movement of urgently required goods.

3050 seats
By the end of the project, the Emirates Engineering team would have removed 3,050 seats, which will be safely and hygienically stored away till the time the aircraft are required for passenger services.

What is flying inside economy class cabin?
Emirates SkyCargo has rules on the type of cargo that can be loaded inside the modified economy class cabins. Some of the cargo commodities that can be loaded include general cargo such as PPE and garments, pharmaceuticals that can be maintained within a temperature range of 15 and 25 degrees Celsius and perishables such as cut flowers, and select dry and non-smelling fruits and vegetables. Cargo loaded in the passenger cabins would need to be packaged inside a suitable external container such as a plastic or cardboard box under the latest regulations outlined by IATA.

Nabil Sultan, divisional senior vice president, cargo, Emirates, said "Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Emirates SkyCargo has taken very seriously its responsibility of connecting people and businesses across the world with the commodities that they urgently require. Now, with the Emirates Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with modified Economy Class cabins, we will be able to transport even more cargo per flight, allowing for more cargo to reach their destination faster and for more efficient cargo operations."

Emirates Engineering facilities
The modification of the economy class cabins of the 10 Emirates Boeing 777-300ER is being executed at the Emirates Engineering facilities in Dubai with each aircraft requiring close to 640 man-hours of work for the modification. Engineers remove 305 economy seats from one aircraft, fixing safety equipment and implementing regular load-bearing tests during the process. Seven aircraft have already been modified by the Emirates Engineering team, with three more aircraft due to be ready by mid-July 2020.