Cargo continues to be the lifeline of the struggling air industry, still battling the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic.In the past air cargo was a marginal part of the business, contributing 10 to 15% of the revenues. Nowadays it is one-third of the typical airline business, responsible for up to 40% of the revenue. This has been achieved by converting grounded passenger planes to move cargo, resulting in the coining of the new term preighters. According to a spokesman for Lufthansa Cargo, cargo-only transport in passenger aircraft has allowed grounded airlines the opportunity to continue f lying and generate revenue. The cargo preighters have been f lying around the world like clockwork, offering much-needed capacity and reliability to the airfreight market where the shortage of capacity in the bellies of passenger aircraft remains a problem. According to Lufthansa, it has since March 2020 operated about 1 500 preighter f lights worldwide. This has made it possible to maintain global supply chains – even during the pandemic – and to ensure the transport of urgently needed goods, such as medications or medical equipment. According to the Airport Council International (ACI) World, the global economy depends on the ability to deliver high-quality products at competitive prices to consumers worldwide. Air cargo transports over $6 trillion worth of goods, accounting for over one-third of world trade by value.
