Cargo airlines are airlines dedicated to the transport of cargo by air.
Some cargo airlines are divisions or subsidiaries of larger passenger airlines.
Logistics Air transport is a vital component of many
international logistics networks, essential to managing and controlling the flow of goods,
energy, information and other resources like products, services, and people, from the source
of production to the marketplace.
It is difficult or nearly impossible to accomplish any international trading, global export/import
processes, international repositioning of raw materials/products and manufacturing without
a professional logistical support.
It involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material
handling, and packaging.
The operating responsibility of logistics is the geographical repositioning of raw materials,
work in process, and finished inventories where required at the lowest cost possible.
Aircraft used
Larger cargo airlines tend to use new or recently built aircraft to carry their freight, but
many use older aircraft, like the Boeing 707, Boeing 727, Douglas DC-8, DC-10, MD-11, Boeing
747, and the Ilyushin Il-76.
Examples of the 60-year-old Douglas DC-3 are still flying around the world carrying cargo.
Short range turboprop airliners such as the An-12, An-26, Fokker Friendship, and British
Aerospace ATP are now being modified to accept standard air freight pallets to extend their
working lives.
This normally involves the replacement of glazed windows with opaque panels, the strengthening
of the cabin floor and insertion of a broad top-hinged door in one side of the fuselage.
Antonov An-225 Mriya and Antonov An-124 are the worlds' largest aircraft, used for transporting
large shipments and oversized cargos.
Usage of large military airplanes for commercial purposes, pioneered by Ukraine's Antonov Airlines
in the 1990s, has allowed new types of cargo in aerial transportation.
In the past, some cargo airlines would carry a few passengers from time to time on flights,
and UPS Airlines once unsuccessfully tried a passenger charter airline division.
However, cargo planes in the United States are strictly forbidden from carrying non-employee
passengers.
Top 10 cargo airlines By freight tonne-kilometres flown:
All-cargo Some of these companies have stopped operating
or have been merged into other carriers.
Absa ABX Air
Aerologic Aeromodal Cargolifter
AirBridge Cargo AirNet Express
Air Hong Kong Air Transport International
Alaska Central Express American International Airways/Kalitta
Amerijet International Antonov Airlines
Aloha Air Cargo Atlantic Airlines
Atlas Air ATRAN Cargo Airlines
Arrow Airways Inc.
Australian air Express Avient Aviation
Blue Dart Aviation Bluebird Cargo
Burlington Air Express Bravo Air
CAL Cargo Air Lines CCS Canadian Courier Services
Capital Cargo International Airlines Cargo 360
Cardig Air Cargo Cargoitalia
Cargojet Airways Cargolux
Challenger Air Cargo China Postal Airlines
Cielos Airlines DAS Air Cargo
Deccan 360 Express Logistics DHL
DHL International Aviation ME East Coast Air Charter
Emerald Air Emery Worldwide
Empost European Air Transport
Evergreen International Airlines FedEx Express
Fine Air First Flight
Flying Tiger Line Freight India Logistics Pvt Ltd
Grandstar Cargo Gemini Air Cargo
Gestair Cargo Great Wall Airlines
Heavylift Cargo Airlines Jade Cargo International
K-Mile Air Kalitta Air
Kelowna Flightcraft Air Charter Kitty Hawk Aircargo
Maximus Air Cargo Midex Airlines
Millennium Air Xpress MNG Airlines
Mountain Air Cargo Murray Air
MyCargo Airlines National Airlines
Nippon Cargo Airlines Pacific Air Express
Polar Air Cargo Polet Airlines
Quickjet Cargo RAF-Avia
Royal Air Freight Reair - Reaching Horizons
S.A.A Cargo Saint-X Cargo
Seaboard World Airlines SF Airlines
Sky Capital Airlines SNAS Aviation
Southern Air South African Cargo
SprintAir Sundt Atlanta Skybridge
Swiftport Swiftair
Tampa Cargo TCS Courier
TMA Cargo TNT
Tol Air Transmile Air Services
Tri-MG Intra Asia Airlines ULS Airlines Cargo
UPS Airlines Varig Log
Volga-Dnepr West Atlantic
World Airways Cargo Yangtze River Express
All-cargo subsidiary Freight divisions of passenger airlines operating
their own or leased freighter aircraft, some shut down or merged with others.
Aeroflot Cargo Air China Cargo
Air India Cargo Air France Cargo
Air Macau Cargo ANA Cargo
Asiana Cargo Cathay Pacific Cargo
China Airlines Cargo China Cargo Airlines
China Southern Cargo EgyptAir Cargo
EL AL Cargo Emirates SkyCargo
Ethiopian Airlines Cargo Etihad Crystal Cargo
EVA Air Cargo Finnair Cargo
Hong Kong Airlines Cargo Icelandair Cargo
Iran Air Cargo Korean Air Cargo
LAN Cargo Lufthansa Cargo
MASkargo Martinair Cargo
NWA Cargo Qatar Airways Cargo
RAM Cargo Royal Jordanian Cargo
Saudi Arabian Airlines Cargo Shanghai Airlines Cargo
Singapore Airlines Cargo South African Airways Cargo
Turkish Airlines Cargo Uzbekistan Airways Cargo
Yakutia Airlines Cargo Freight divisions without fleet using passenger
aircraft belly hold or having other cargo airlines fly on their behalf, some of these
previously had freighters: Alaska Air Cargo
American Airlines Freight Avianca Cargo
British Airways World Cargo Cargo Garuda Indonesia
Czech Airlines Cargo Delta Airlines Cargo
Dragon Air Cargo Garuda Indonesia Cargo
Gol Transportes Aereos Gulf Air Cargo
Iberia Cargo Japan Airlines Cargo
Kenya Airways Cargo KLM Cargo
Kuwait Airways Cargo LOT Polish Airlines Cargo
Pakistan International Airlines Cargo Qantas Freight
SAS Cargo Group S.A.
Cargo Shaheen Air Cargo
South African Airways SriLankan Cargo
Starlight Airlines Sudan Airways
Swiss WorldCargo Thai Airways Cargo
United Airlines Cargo These carriers operate freighter aircraft
but do not have a cargo division: Air Koryo
Ariana Afghan Airlines Azerbaijan Airlines
Iraqi Airways Syrian Air
Tajik Air Turkmenistan Airlines
See also Airlift
Cargo aircraft Container terminal
Counter-to-counter package Dangerous goods
Environmental impact of aviation IATA e-freight
References
External links Cargo Aircraft Specifications- Indicative
freighter aircraft specifications for comparison.