Suspended cargo airline CargoLogicAir has recently reactivated its Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) and Operator's Licence (OL) due to a rise in demand for cargo flights. Around the world, passenger airlines have been using their aircraft for cargo, some working around seats that would normally carry guests.

CargoLogicair
The company operates two 747s. Photo: Papas dos via Flickr

"We can confirm that CargoLogicAir Limited, which operates from London Stansted Airport, has had its Operating Licence and Air Operator Certificate suspension lifted in order for them to provide cargo flights using two Boeing 747 aircraft on contracts to provide medical supplies," -UK Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson

A new life

Having suspended its operations in early February 2020 amid financial troubles, UK cargo carrier CargoLogicAir is back up again due to a surge in demand for air cargo services according to CH-Aviation.

FlightGlobal reports that it suspended operations due to a “drastic decrease” in market demand. This was notably in the Chinese market -a main focus market for CargoLogicAir. This decrease was due to the early effects of COVID-19 as China's Hubei province was the epicenter of the crisis. Much of China was locked-down in order to contain the spread of the virus.

CargoLogicAir 747
The cargo carrier suspended operations just two months ago. Photo: MilborneOne via Wikimedia Commons

However, with travel restrictions being introduced all over the world, passenger flights have dropped. Along with this drop is the decrease in the cargo capacity that would be found in the holds of passenger aircraft. Thus, a "temporary boom" is happening now in the cargo sector to compensate for the loss of capacity normally obtained through passenger flights.

According to CH-Aviation's inside sources, the airline will transport medical supplies on behalf of the UK's National Health Service.

With CargoLogicAir being the operator of two Boeing 747-400 freighters, the jumbo jets will come out of storage to fly once again. According to Airfleets, the two 747s are registered as G-CLAA and G-CLAB. The former once flew with Japan Airlines while the latter was with Air France. The two aircraft, both 16 years old, have been in storage at Leipzig/Halle in Germany.

The global rise in cargo demand

Airlines around the world have been trying to keep up with the growing demand for cargo services by converting their passenger aircraft into makeshift freighters. This means that beyond the space offered in the hold of an aircraft, airlines are making use of the main cabin that passengers would normally occupy.

In fact, Finnish carrier Finnair is preparing to modify a couple of its A330 widebodies for cargo transport, in addition to the A350s it is currently using. Furthermore, Air Canada has converted some of its Boeing 777-300ER fleet for cargo by removing seats. Lufthansa has done the same for some of its Airbus A330s.

Meanwhile other carriers like Aer Lingus and Jazeera Airways are simply working around the seats within the main passenger cabin. Aer Lingus has used seat bags to make the loading and unloading process a little faster.

Conclusion

This spike in cargo demand must be a welcome surprise for the management and ownership of CargoAirLogic. Perhaps this demand will provide the company enough business to see it through the crisis and become fully operational once again.