Etihad to deploy 787 passenger aircraft on cargo network

Etihad Airways is to redeploy some of its Boeing 787-10s as passenger freighters following the temporary suspension of scheduled services in the UAE, as it seeks to meet a related spike in air cargo demand. Etihad – along with Dubai-based Emirates – has suspended passenger flights in line with guidance from the UAE authorities that curbs air travel for 2 weeks as part of measures to counter the coronavirus pandemic. But global demand for freighters has jumped as cargo capacity previously carried in the bellyhold of passenger aircraft has been taken out of the market as a result of the grounding of passenger services. Around three-quarters of Etihad’s cargo capacity is flown in the bellyhold of its passenger aircraft, with the rest transported by the operator’s Boeing 777-200 freighters. <br/>