Korean Air to Use Passenger Planes as Cargo Aircraft Amid Prolonged COVID-19 Pandemic

On the 4th, disinfection company staff are disinfecting a Korean Air passenger plane bound for New York at the Korean Air aircraft maintenance hangar at Incheon International Airport. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Saeng-hye] As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) crisis prolongs, Korean Air has decided to operate passenger planes carrying only cargo on routes where flights have been suspended. The aim is to support smooth economic activities of export-import companies while reducing costs such as airport parking fees by utilizing passenger aircraft.

Korean Air announced on the 15th that since the 13th, it has deployed an A330-300 passenger plane capable of carrying about 20 tons of cargo on the Ho Chi Minh City route in Vietnam to transport urgent shipments for Korean companies operating in Vietnam and agricultural products from Korea.

The Ho Chi Minh City route has been suspended since the 3rd due to Vietnam government's entry restrictions. Additionally, from the 21st, Korean Air plans to deploy passenger planes to Qingdao, China, where passenger flights have been suspended since the 25th of last month, to transport cargo, expanding the target regions and items.

As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Korea increases, more countries are restricting entry of passengers from Korea. As of the 13th, Korean Air has suspended operations on 89 out of 124 routes. Furthermore, due to reduced demand, the number of international passenger flights has decreased by 86% compared to usual. With passenger planes grounded, cargo transport via passenger aircraft has also declined.

The idea to utilize passenger planes as cargo planes is known to be from Cho Won-tae, Chairman of Hanjin Group. Chairman Cho said at a recent executive meeting, "As difficulties increase due to COVID-19, it is important to view the market from a new perspective," adding, "If we actively respond to changes in cargo demand by using the cargo holds of idle passenger planes, we can diversify supply lines while also reducing costs such as parking fees."