SriLankan Airlines increases cargo capacity by transforming passenger aircraft into freighter

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan

                  / KUCINTA SETIA

Images courtesy : SriLankan Airlines

In order to continue to support Sri Lanka's export industry and maintain Sri Lankan and global economic ties during the outbreak, Sri Lankan Airlines has converted wide-body passenger aircraft into dedicated cargo aircraft.

The Airbus A330 aircraft, which has undergone cargo modification, has been in operation since 25 June 2020, and it is in charge of cargo routes to major destinations in the Far East and Europe.

Mr. Ashok Pathirage, Chairman of SriLankan Airlines said, "By transforming the passenger cabin, the aircraft carrying capacity (especially the cabin carrying capacity) can be maximized to meet the huge domestic import and export cargo demand in Sri Lanka, and it can also be used in the global aviation passenger transportation. The poor performance of the business due to the epidemic has further created revenue for SriLankan Airlines."

The modification configuration in the cabin was carried out at Bandaranaike International Airport. The Sri Lankan aviation engineering department was on standby 24 hours a day. The transformed aircraft has been certified by the Sri Lanka Civil Aviation Authority.

After the transformation, the passenger aircraft will reach a total cargo capacity of 170 cubic meters, including a cargo capacity of 60 cubic meters in the upper cabin and a cargo capacity of 110 cubic meters in the lower cabin. The total payload of the aircraft will reach 45 tons.

Image : SriLankan Cargo wide-body aircraft A330-200 after modification

Mr. Chamara Ranasinghe, Head of Freight Operations in Sri Lanka, said: "As global passenger transport demand has decreased, there has been a decline in air transportation capacity in the global market, which has had a huge impact on the global supply and demand industry chain. In the past few months, SriLankan Airlines operates several cargo air routes to meet the demand for cargo aviation. This cabin cargo correction provides new impetus for the current huge cargo market demand."

SriLankan Airlines currently operates cargo flights to and from more than 20 destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Australia, India and the Far East to fully meet the needs of cargo customers.