Alaska Air Cargo announced Wednesday it
will fly passenger jets as cargo-only flights to carry essential
goods like mail, medical equipment, e-commerce packages and food
throughout its domestic network. Filling the passenger cabin with
cargo will backfill the loss in capacity across the
continental United States and Hawaii after passenger
flights were reduced.
"We're determined to help protect
the resiliency of our nation's supply chain by connecting critical
cargo to the communities we serve during this public health crisis,"
said Torque Zubeck, managing director of Alaska Air Cargo. "Our
teams have been working tirelessly since March to identify the safest
and most effective processes to increase our cargo capacity as
quickly as possible."
In addition to Air Cargo's dedicated
three freighters, six Boeing 737-900 aircraft will be utilized as
cargo-only aircraft. Boxes, mail and other items will be placed
on and under seats, in overhead bins and in closets – to offer
13,500 more pounds of cargo than what a passenger-only flight could
carry. In total, each flight will carry up to 30,000 pounds, which
includes belly capacity.
If approved by the Federal Aviation
Administration, the passenger-only aircraft would begin flying
throughout the United States in May.
Alaska Air Cargo Facts
- Cargo freighters: 3 Boeing 737-700s
- Passenger-to-cargo planes: 6 Boeing 737-900s
- Cargo flown annually: 200 million+ pounds
- Seafood flown: 30 million+ pounds per year
- Destinations in Alaska we serve: 19 stations, only three connect by road
- Total destinations served in 2019: 100+
- Freighter-only flights flown in 2019: 5,487
