Old passenger planes converted into cargo haulers

The worth to ship goods by air jumped to a record just before Christmas 2021, driven by strong e-commerce demand, port congestion and a chokehold on capability from airlines’ limited pandemic schedules.

Those trends also drove a boom in a small but lucrative corner of the aerospace industry: converting passenger planes into aircraft that may haul cargo. A record 164 planes were converted to freighters last yr, in response to aviation data firm Cirium.

Air cargo rates have since declined, partially from a flood of recent capability available on the market from the resurgence in air travel. Air freight flies within the bellies of passenger planes and dedicated freighters, most of that are converted planes. The Baltic Air Freight Index was down greater than 48% from last yr.

Across the globe, in facilities from Texas to Singapore, technicians rip out old seats, galleys, lavatories and other parts of the plane, abandoning crumbs, kid’s toys and other signs of aircrafts’ past lives carrying passengers.

Technicians then reinforce the ground to hold heavy cargo loads, and a special doorway is cut and door installed so goods will be loaded onto the plane.

The method can take months and value tens of millions of dollars, in some cases greater than $30 million per plane, including maintenance. Corporations that concentrate on this business say they’re still racking up orders to show planes into freighters, despite the lower shipping rates.

CNBC visited Aspire MRO and Mammoth Freighters in Fort Value, Texas — where the businesses are converting Boeing 777 wide-body aircraft into giant cargo haulers — to see how the method works.

Watch the video to learn more.