For around a year now, Emirates Airline has also been using passenger planes as so-called makeshift freighters (“preighters”). The group announced that it has carried out around 777 pure cargo flights with the Boeing 300-3.100ER alone. There were around 11.000 tons of cargo on board, mostly so-called personal protective equipment.

In response to the acute need for the transport of PPE during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic at the end of April 2020, Emirates SkyCargo has adapted its operating model to load selected goods inside the aircraft cabin on the passenger seats and in the overhead bins, creating additional space to provide for urgent cargo on their flights.

In the course of a year, the cargo airline has now operated more than 3.100 flights with cargo on the seats and in the overhead bins, moving more than 11.000 tons of vital cargo, equivalent to carrying cargo on 800.000 aircraft seats. Emirates SkyCargo continues to see strong demand for in-cabin transportation of PPE and other cargo.

In order to be able to load the cargo safely onto the seats and in the overhead bins of a passenger aircraft, Emirates SkyCargo had to carry out a safety risk assessment in the shortest possible time and develop a series of processes and procedures for both the employees in Dubai and the ground handling partners in the network's remote stations to instruct Emirates SkyCargo in the most efficient and safest way of loading and securing cargo within the passenger cabins. The team also developed a smart computer application with which the global teams can calculate the optimal loading capacity within the aircraft cabin.

The procedures developed also specify the maximum weight and dimensions of each package, as well as the types of cargo that can be allowed in the cabin and additional safety guidelines. For example, all packaging for perishable cargo that is loaded on the seats and in the overhead bins must have a sufficient internal absorption layer.

Emirates SkyCargo has also introduced a special cover for passenger seats to prevent damage to the aircraft's interior, such as the in-flight entertainment screens.

PPE and other medical aids are the most common cargo carried on aircraft seats and in the overhead lockers. Due to the nature of these items, smaller individual boxes are possible, which enable easier handling and loading in the aircraft. Other general cargo such as clothing, dry food, dental accessories and sporting goods were already transported on the seats.