All stirring stuff chaps but the reality is that governments in the west are waking up far too late and locking down. The result will be many months of suppressed commercial activity and the need for restocking will fall dramatically. No cars being built, no houses being built etc etc. Shipping remains extremely safe as sailors are effectively isolated. Food needs to continue but transportation overall will fall. There is nothing to stop normal road, rail and sea deliveries. So why should air freight increase?

You are assuming this will be sorted out in a "market" way, with ITTs, tenders, lowest bidder etc., I suspect that is last-year thinking.

I don't have any inside info from aviation any more (other than whats on here), but I do from other sectors and I can tell you that there are a lot of government "requests" out there that are phrased in a way that really doesn't sound voluntary, and the next step will undoubtedly be compulsion. Little of this is in the media because those involved are already being put under blanket orders that forbid mentioning it, allegedly. There are lots of plans going into place, which is good, but those plans are for very scary things and basically a war footing, we need to be thinking wartime requisitioning.

Now add into the mix that airlines are asking governments for huge bailouts, it is not a stretch to envisage those bailouts coming with big strings attached along the lines of "all your planes (and crews) are belong to us" (for next N months).

Wot, no sauerkraut?

That would be the Wurst Käs scenario ... :-)

What about unparking some A380s?

777-300 crossed the pond at FL380. They were relatively light to cross at FL380. No pax = less weight.

All plans have been shelved due to a veto vote on the advisory board.

Greta didn't like the use of aircraft, preferred sailboats. ;)

Air freight is expensive and normally for perishable, high value and time sensitive cargo. With the increase in the amount of hold space available in pax aircraft due to larger size and bigger engines, together with increased frequency of services, the need for pure freighter aircraft had been reduced. Now there has been a sudden drop in available capacity but that could soon be matched by a drop in demand as the economy freefalls. Interesting times.

Without a 9G barrier between the cabin and flt deck, loading cargo on the main deck after removal of seats will never happen. On top of that, the floor area on a pax aircraft is not strengthened compared to a combi or freighter, unless you plan to move flip flops on the main deck, it is a non starter!

Loading mail sacks strapped to a seat might work though?

Used to seat load newspapers on the Loganair S340 from inv to syy

Not a good idea. Compartmens are not that big especialy compared to weight of aircraft. B777-300 is much better option.

So what would be involved in converting these presumably perfectly serviceable A 380s for freight use? Economically possibly a good way of keeping maintenance staff in work.

Boxes of face masks and other medical equipment are not heavy and could easily be seat stowed.
Chinese airlines are already doing 'mercy flights' to Europe delivering medical supplies https://simpleflying.com/chinese-airlines-aid-flights/

Back in the day:
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....c00160289d.jpg


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....be90e88334.jpg

Air Canada Begins Operating Cargo-only Flights Carrying Vital Supplies, Necessary Goods Français

NEWS PROVIDED BY
Air Canada Mar 25, 2020, 10:04 ET

SHARE THIS ARTICLE https://www.newswire.ca/news-release...826789173.html
Shipments between Canada and Europe, South America and Latin America

MONTREAL, March 25, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada said today that through its Air Canada Cargo division it has begun using its aircraft to operate cargo-only flights to Europe, with other flights planned for Latin America and South America. The aircraft on these flights carry no passengers but move time-sensitive shipments, including medical supplies to combat COVID-19, and goods to support the global economy.

"Air Canada Cargo has long served as a vital link in global supply chains and with the disruption arising from the COVID-19 pandemic our capabilities are more important than ever. Although we have announced very significant temporary capacity reductions and our passenger flights are largely dedicated to bringing Canadians home, Air Canada's aircraft and our expertise in handling cargo are valuable assets that we can use to move medical supplies and other essential goods to keep the world economy going. We have already begun flights to Europe, and we are planning to expand this program to Latin America and South America, as well as within Canada, including remote communities using Air Canada Express aircraft. In addition to providing a much-needed service, these cargo-only flights are also supporting jobs at Air Canada," said Tim Strauss, Vice President of Cargo, at Air Canada.

The first cargo-only flights departed from Toronto this past week for Frankfurt, London and Amsterdam, which are all both important business centres and connection points for onward cargo shipments. The flights were operated using Boeing 787 aircraft capable of carrying 35 tonnes of cargo, the equivalent of about 80 grand pianos. Shippers and freight forwarders using the service are charged a flat rate for both directions and Air Canada Cargo is also introducing a fractional program, so shippers who do not require a whole aircraft can book space. The arrangements with the shippers and freight forwarders contain clear provisions to ensure that these essential goods are being sold at fair market rates and to authorized suppliers.

Air Canada Cargo is now exploring opportunities to offer this service domestically. It is working with various governments to assess the demand and assist in moving relief goods from multiple markets within Canada. This includes using smaller Air Canada Express regional aircraft to operate to less-well served, smaller or remote regions in Canada with medical and other emergency supplies in support of local governments.

Air Canada does not operate cargo aircraft, instead its Air Canada Cargo division manages and markets excess belly space on the airline's regular passenger flights for shippers operating worldwide. To facilitate the cargo-only flights, Air Canada Cargo has created five, segment-specific sales teams to focus on the unique needs of the customers at different levels in the supply chain. For more information, including shipper inquiries, please see https://www.aircanada.com/cargo/en/.

Being run by non aviation managers they probably dont even know that they have these aircraft.... Parking the 747 combi's now is the most stupid idea by #KLM

Here's a source:

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....8c34303bf4.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....b1446a4ce7.jpg
https://twitter.com/lufthansaNews

Never underestimate the ingenuity of aviation people to get things into an airplane ...

You are incorrect viz the rocket science. Seat rails and the underlying structural attachments do not meet the load requirements for freight, even lightweight stuff. Neither do many passenger cabins have sufficient protection for the flight deck should the freight move or detach in emergency landing conditions.

Some countries, if not all, do not require regs to be changed to carry dangerous goods on pax a/c. Though CAO stands for Cargo Aircraft Only what it really means is no passengers allowed when CAO carried except certain exemptions which will be list in the airlines AOC. It is quite acceptable and in fact quite common for CAO to be carried on so-called pax a/c and has been going on as standard practice for well over my 39 years of experiencing it in the various countries I have worked in.