Friday, 3 April 2020

How an A320 can be quickly converted into a cargo plane

First reported by : Tianyun Studio
Translation using Google



Aircraft parts supplier Colibri Aero and design company J & C Aero have developed a new method for transporting cargo on narrow-body passenger aircraft. The cargo seat bag is designed to maximize the available cargo space of the passenger-configured A320 series aircraft, while also ensuring that the cargo is safe and reliable. With the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)’s rapid certification, airlines will be able to start using the kit immediately.

The global outbreak caused airlines to cut flights and ground thousands of aircraft because of reduced travel demand and countries closed borders to control pandemics. Airlines have no other way to make money, so they are increasingly turning to cargo-only flights to earn meager income.

Although passenger planes often re-transmit some cargo on the belly, the cargo volume on the belly is not much. Therefore, we have seen many airlines use the cabin to maximize cargo capacity.

Although we have seen some ways to use the cabin to transfer cargo by stacking boxes on seats and stacking them in aisles, this is not really the safest or most effective way of transporting cargo. The two companies proposed a good solution. Due to the urgency of the current situation, European regulators only passed the certification of the product as soon as possible so that airlines can start to benefit immediately.

The cargo seat package, developed by Colibri Aero and J & C Aero, is a custom-designed interior modification specifically designed for the Airbus A320 series of narrow-body aircraft. The bag is designed for the transportation of humanitarian supplies and commercial goods, and can be neatly placed on the seats, providing airlines with a fast-deployment solution that can convert passenger aircraft into cargo aircraft.

The triple seat kit provides airlines with a spacious cargo capacity of 76x76x147 cm (30x30x58 inches), which can carry up to 75 kg (165 lbs) of cargo on the seat. Under the seat can also carry another 9 kg (20 lb), which gives the airline a maximum load capacity of 252 kg (555 lb) per 3 seats.

The kit can be installed in just a few minutes, allowing airlines to use space most efficiently and safely without the need for costly modifications to the cabin.

The newly developed retrofit kit has been approved by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and has obtained the necessary supplementary model certificates to enable rapid deployment. EASA has expedited the approval of the amendments to allow passenger airlines to begin the transfer of much-needed cargo worldwide as soon as possible.

The kit can be used for all variants of the A320 series, from the small A318 to A321. Currently only 8000 A320 series aircraft are in service, many of which have been grounded. The rapid deployment of these duffel bags will make it easier than ever for airlines to use the space of passenger aircraft to provide the world with the cargo they need.

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