Editing Cargo airline

{{Short description|Airline specializing in transporting air freight}}
{{more footnotes|date=March 2013}}
[[File:N866FD@PEK (20200420152652).jpg|thumb|A [[Boeing 777F]] of [[FedEx Express]], which is the largest cargo airline in the world.]]

[[File:Loading LD3 cargo containers onto United Boeing 777-300ER.webm|thumb|[[Unit load device]] LD3 containers being loaded into the belly cargo hold of a [[Boeing 777-300ER]] passenger aircraft]]

[[File:Cargolux B747-400F.jpg|thumb|A [[Boeing 747-400F]] of [[Cargolux]]]]
'''Cargo airlines''' (or '''air freight carriers''', and derivatives of these names) are [[airline]]s mainly dedicated to the [[transport]] of [[air cargo|cargo by air]]. Some cargo airlines are divisions or subsidiaries of larger [[passenger airline]]s.
In 2018, airline cargo traffic represented 262,333 million [[tonne-kilometre]]s with a 49.3% [[Load factor (transportation)|load factor]]: {{#expr:136583/262333*100round1}}% for dedicated cargo operations, and {{#expr:125750/262333*100round1}}% within mixed operations (belly freight of passenger airliners).<ref name=WATS2019>{{cite web |url= https://www.iata.org/contentassets/a686ff624550453e8bf0c9b3f7f0ab26/wats-2019-mediakit.pdf |title= World Air Transport Statistics |publisher= [[IATA]] |date= 2019 |access-date= 2020-06-04 |archive-date= 2020-08-15 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200815214419/https://www.iata.org/contentassets/a686ff624550453e8bf0c9b3f7f0ab26/wats-2019-mediakit.pdf |url-status= dead }}</ref>

==Pilots==

A higher proportion of cargo flights are red-eye (overnight flights) than passenger flights. Compared to passenger airline pilots, cargo pilots are paid less but do not have to be responsible for passengers. Cargo pilots also have better job security due to air freight demand being more stable, as opposed to passenger airlines which often furlough their pilots in response to falling passenger demand.<ref>[https://flycanada.org/career-pathways/pilot-careers/cargo-pilot/ Cargo Pilot], ''flycanada.org''.</ref>

==Freight rates==

Amid the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], adjusted cargo capacity fell by 4.4% in February while air cargo demand also fell by 9.1%, but the [[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation|near-halt in passenger traffic]] cut capacity even deeper as half of global air cargo is carried in passenger jets’ bellies.<!--ref name=Flight3apr2020-->
Air freight rates rose as a consequence, from $0.80 per kg for transatlantic cargoes to $2.50-4 per kg, enticing passenger airlines to operate cargo-only flights through the use of [[preighter]]s, while cargo airlines bring back into service fuel-guzzling [[Aircraft recycling#Storage statistics|stored aircraft]], helped by falling [[oil price]]s.<ref name=Flight3apr2020>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/airlines/freight-rates-on-the-rise-amid-slump-in-passenger-flights/137714.article |title= Freight rates on the rise amid slump in passenger flights |author= Cirium |date= 3 April 2020 |work= Flightglobal}}</ref>

==Logistics==
[[File:Ups worldport.jpg|thumb|upright=2|[[United Parcel Service|UPS]] hub at [[Louisville International Airport]]]]

Air transport is a component of many international [[logistics]] networks, managing and controlling the flow of goods, energy, information and other resources like products, services, and people, from the source of production to the marketplace. Logistics involves the geographical repositioning of raw materials, work in process, and finished inventories.<ref>{{cite web|last=Stattimes|first=Media|date=3 Oct 2020|title=How these trends are shaping up the future of logistics|url=https://www.stattimes.com/news/how-these-trends-are-shaping-up-the-future-of-logistics/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130102852/https://www.stattimes.com/news/how-these-trends-are-shaping-up-the-future-of-logistics/|archive-date=2020-11-30|access-date=3 Oct 2020|website=Stattimes|publisher=Stattimes}}</ref>

==Aircraft used==

[[File:Antonov An-225 Beltyukov-1.jpg|thumb|The [[Antonov An-225]], formerly the world's largest aircraft, used by [[Antonov Airlines]] before its destruction in the [[Russo-Ukrainian War]]]]

Larger cargo airlines tend to use new or recently built aircraft to carry their freight. Current passenger aircraft such as the [[Boeing 777]] and [[Airbus A330]] offer freighter variants either from new the factory or as a conversion. Compared to the passenger variant, the freighter has a supernumerary area, which includes four business-class seats forward of the rigid cargo barrier, full main deck access, bunks, and a galley. Passenger planes converted to freighters have their windows plugged, passenger doors deactivated, fuselage and floor reinforced, and a main-deck cargo door installed.

Many cargo airlines still utilize older aircraft, including those no longer suited for passenger service, like the [[Boeing 707]], [[Boeing 727]], [[Douglas DC-8]], [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10]], [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11]], [[Airbus A300]], and the [[Ilyushin Il-76]]. Examples of the 80+-year-old [[Douglas DC-3]] are still flying around the world carrying cargo (as well as passengers). Short range [[turboprop]] airliners such as the [[Antonov An-12]], [[Antonov An-26]], [[Fokker Friendship]], and [[British Aerospace ATP]] are being modified to accept standard air freight pallets to extend their working lives. This normally involves the replacement of glazed windows with opaque panels, the strengthening of the cabin floor and insertion of a broad top-hinged door in one side of the fuselage.

The [[Antonov An-225 Mriya|Antonov An-225 ''Mriya'']], an enlarged version of the [[Antonov An-124 Ruslan|Antonov An-124 ''Ruslan'']], was the world's largest aircraft, used for transporting large shipments and oversized cargos.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chapman-freeborn.com/en/news/chapman-freeborn-charters-first-an-225-to-south-america|website=Chapman Freeborn Airchartering | title=Chapman Freeborn charters first AN-225 to South America}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chapman-freeborn.com/blog/argentinas-first-satellite-delivered-on-an-124-cargo-charter/|website=Chapman Freeborn Airchartering | title=Argentina's First Satellite Delivered on AN-124 Cargo Charter|date=2 October 2014 }}</ref>

Usage of [[Military transport aircraft|large military airplanes]] for commercial purposes, pioneered by [[Ukraine]]'s [[Antonov Airlines]] in the 1990s, has allowed new types of cargo in aerial transportation.

=== Passenger and cargo ===
In the past, some cargo airlines would carry a few passengers from time to time on flights, and [[UPS Airlines]] once unsuccessfully tried a passenger [[charter airline]] division. 

Passenger airlines regularly use their largest passenger aircraft like the [[Boeing 777]]-300ER to earn additional revenue beyond passengers on a scheduled flight, by transporting a limited amount of cargo alongside passengers' luggage underneath the passenger cabin.[https://www.anacargo.jp/en/int/specification/b7_300.html] This is known as mixed operations or belly freight, and makes up {{#expr:125750/262333*100round1}}% airline cargo traffic as of 2018.<ref name=WATS2019>{{cite web |url= https://www.iata.org/contentassets/a686ff624550453e8bf0c9b3f7f0ab26/wats-2019-mediakit.pdf |title= World Air Transport Statistics |publisher= [[IATA]] |date= 2019 |access-date= 2020-06-04 |archive-date= 2020-08-15 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200815214419/https://www.iata.org/contentassets/a686ff624550453e8bf0c9b3f7f0ab26/wats-2019-mediakit.pdf |url-status= dead }}</ref>  [[Alaska Airlines]] operates a series of short flights nicknamed the "Milk Run" to small towns in Southeast Alaska that do not have road access, using five Boeing 737-400 Combi aircraft whose cabin is divided in half with cargo up front and 72 seats in the back.[https://news.alaskaair.com/alaska-airlines/the-milk-run-flight/]

== Types of Cargo Airlines ==

===Top 10 Cargo Carriers in ctk (m)===

[[File:FedEx_Express_B777F_(N850FD)_@_HKG,_Jan_2019_(01).jpg|thumb|[[FedEx Express]], the largest airline by freight tonne-kilometres flown]]

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right;"
|- 
!class="unsortable"| Rank<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aircargonews.net/top-25-cargo-carriers-cargo-goes-slow-on-growth-in-2023/1073135.article|title = Top 25 cargo airlines: Goes Slow on Growth in 2023|date = 2 September 2024}}</ref>
! Airline
!Country
!2023
!2022
!2021
!2020
!2019
!2018

|-
! 1
| style="text-align:left;" | [[FedEx Express]]
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flag|United States}}
|17,923 ||19,547 ||20,660 ||19,656 ||17,503 || 17,499 
|-
! 2
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Qatar Airways Cargo]]
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flag|Qatar}}
|14,406 ||14,267 || 16,102 || 13,740 || 13,024 || 12,695 
|-
! 3
| style="text-align:left;" | [[UPS Airlines]]
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flag|United States}}
|14,239 ||15,889 || 15,529 || 14,371 || 12,842 || 12,459  
|-
! 4
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Emirates SkyCargo]]
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flag|United Arab Emirates}}
|10,636 ||10,153 || 11,842 || 9,569 || 12,052 || 12,713
|-
! 5
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Atlas Air]]
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flag|United States}}
|8,915 ||8,675 || 8,441 || 5,458 {{small|#12}} || 4,522 {{small|#16}} || 4,553 {{small|#16}}
|-
! 6
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Korean Air Cargo]]
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flag|South Korea}}
|8,411 ||9,518 || 10,429 || 8,104 || 7,412 || 7,839 
|-
! 7
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Turkish Cargo]]
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flag|Turkey}}
|8,325 ||8,318 || 9,223 || 6,977 || 7,029 || 5,890 
|-
! 8
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Cathay Pacific Cargo]]
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flag| Hong Kong}}
|8,099 || 5,774 {{small|#13}} || 8,215 || 8,137 || 10,930 || 11,284
|-
! 9
| style="text-align:left;" | [[China Southern Airlines|China Southern Airlines Cargo]]
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flag|China}}
|7,610 ||6,915 || 8,078 || 6,591 ||6,825 || 6,597 
|-
! 10
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Cargolux]]
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flag|Luxembourg}}
|6,807 ||7,971 || 8,587 || 7,345 || 7,180 || 7,322 
|-
|}

===Largest cargo carriers===
[[File:N876FD@PEK_(20200114143922).jpg|alt=|thumb|220x220px|[[Boeing 777]] of the [[FedEx Express]]]]
[[File:dhl.a300b4.oo-dlz.arp.jpg|thumb|right|[[Airbus A300|A300]] of [[European Air Transport]], a subsidiary of [[DHL Aviation]]]]

Some more large cargo carriers are:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aircargonews.net/airlines/top-25-cargo-airlines-fedex-at-the-top-as-qatar-closes-in-on-emirates|title = Top 25 cargo airlines 2018: FedEx at the top as Qatar closes in on Emirates|date = 15 July 2019}}</ref>
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
*[[Turkish Airlines]]
*[[China Airlines]]
*[[United Airlines]] Cargo Division
*[[British Airways]] Cargo Division
*[[Asiana Airlines]] Cargo Division
*[[Polar Air Cargo]]
*[[American Airlines]] Cargo Division
*[[Air France]] Cargo Division
*[[KLM]] Cargo Division
*[[EVA Air]] Cargo Division
*[[Etihad Airways]] Cargo Division
*[[WestJet]] Cargo Division
*[[Atlas Air]]
}}

===All-cargo subsidiary===
[[File:Boeing_747-8F_-_Qatar_Airways_Cargo_AN5074311.jpg|thumb|[[Boeing 747-8|747-8]] of [[Qatar Airways Cargo]], the largest all-cargo subsidiary]]
[[File:Thai Cargo Boeing 747-4D7(BCF) HS-TGH "Chaiprakarn" (33832009916).jpg|thumb|[[Boeing 747-400BCF|747-400BCF]] of [[Thai Airways International]]]]

The following are freight divisions of passenger airlines operating their own or leased freighter aircraft. Some have shut down or merged with others:<ref name="acn">{{cite news|title=World's 50 largest air cargo carriers in 2014: FedEx leading the way|url= https://www.aircargonews.net/airlines/worlds-50-largest-air-cargo-carriers-in-2014-fedex-leading-the-way/ |work=[[Air Cargo News]]|date=15 September 2015}}</ref>
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
*[[Aeroflot-Cargo]]
*[[Air Canada Cargo]]
*[[Air China Cargo]]
*[[Air France Cargo]]
*[[Air Hong Kong]] ([[Cathay Pacific]])
*[[Air India Cargo]] 
*[[Air Macau|Air Macau Cargo]]
*[[ANA Cargo]]
*[[Asiana Cargo]]
*[[Avianca Cargo]]
*[[Cathay Pacific Cargo]]
*[[Cebgo|Cebu Pacific Cargo]] ([[Cebu Pacific]])
*[[China Airlines Cargo]]
*[[China Cargo Airlines]] ([[China Eastern Airlines]])
*[[China Southern Airlines|China Southern Cargo]]
*[[Delta Air Lines|Delta Air Freight]]
*[[EgyptAir Cargo]]
*[[EL AL|EL AL Cargo]]
*[[Emirates SkyCargo]]
*[[Ethiopian Airlines|Ethiopian Airlines Cargo]]
*[[Etihad Airways#Cargo|Etihad Cargo]]
*[[EVA Air Cargo]]
*[[Finnair Cargo]]
*[[Hong Kong Airlines|Hong Kong Air Cargo]] ([[Hong Kong Airlines]])
*[[IAG Cargo]]
*[[Icelandair Cargo]]
*[[Iran Air Cargo]]
*[[KLM Cargo]]
*[[Korean Air Cargo]]
*[[LAN Cargo]]
*[[Lufthansa Cargo]]
*[[MASkargo]]
*[[Qatar Airways Cargo]]
*[[RAM Cargo]]
*[[Royal Jordanian Cargo]]
*[[Saudia Cargo]]
*[[Shanghai Airlines Cargo]]
*[[Singapore Airlines Cargo]]
*[[South African Airways|South African Airways Cargo]]
*[[SpiceJet|SpiceXpress]]
*[[TAM Cargo]]
*[[Turkish Airlines Cargo]]
*[[Uzbekistan Airways|Uzbekistan Airways Cargo]]
*[[Yakutia Airlines|Yakutia Airlines Cargo]]
}}

The following are freight divisions without freighter fleets, using passenger aircraft holds or having other cargo airlines fly on their behalf. Some of these previously had freighters:
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
*[[Alaska Air Cargo]] (2 cargo planes, 13 on order)
*[[American Airlines Freight]]
*[[British Airways World Cargo]] (opb Global Supply, three a/c to be in full BA Cargo scheme)
*[[Caribbean Airlines]]
*[[Cargo Garuda Indonesia]]
*[[Czech Airlines|Czech Airlines Cargo]]
*[[Delta Airlines Cargo]]
*[[Dragon Air|Dragon Air Cargo]]
*[[Gol Transportes Aéreos]]
*[[Gulf Air Cargo]]
*[[Hainan Airlines|Hainan Airlines Cargo]]
*[[Iberia Cargo]]
*[[Japan Airlines Cargo]]
*[[Kenya Airways Cargo]]
*[[KLM Cargo]] (opb Martinair Cargo, four a/c in full KLM scheme)
*[[Kuwait Airways|Kuwait Airways Cargo]]
*[[LOT Polish Airlines|LOT Polish Airlines Cargo]]
*[[Pakistan International Airlines Cargo]]
*[[Philippine Airlines|Philippine Airlines Cargo]]
*[[Qantas Freight]] (two a/c opb Express Freighters in Qantas scheme minus logo)
*[[SAS Cargo Group]]
*[[Shenzhen Airlines|Shenzhen Airlines Cargo]]
*[[Sichuan Airlines|Sichuan Airlines Cargo]]
*[[South African Airways]]
*[[SriLankan Cargo]]
*[[Sudan Airways]]
*[[Swiss WorldCargo]]
*[[Thai Airways Cargo]] (two aircraft operated by Southern Air in full Thai Cargo scheme)
*[[United Airlines Cargo]]
*[[Virgin Atlantic|Virgin Atlantic Cargo]]
*[[Virgin Australia|Virgin Australia Cargo]]
}}
These carriers operate freighter aircraft but do not have cargo divisions:
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
*[[Air Koryo]]
*[[Ariana Afghan Airlines]]
*[[Iraqi Airways]]
*[[Syrian Air]]
*[[Tajik Air]]
*[[Turkmenistan Airlines]]
}}
These carriers operate freighter aircraft exclusively
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
*[[Fly Pro]]
*[[Aerotranscargo]]
*[[Bismillah Airlines]]
}}

==See also==
* [[Airlift]]
* [[Cargo aircraft]]
* [[Cargo terminal]]
* [[Counter-to-counter package]]
* [[Dangerous goods]]
* [[List of cargo airlines]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Cargo airlines}}
* {{cite web |publisher= [[World Bank]] |title= Air Freight: A Market Study with Implications for Landlocked Countries |date= August 2009 |url= http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/265051468324548129/pdf/517470NWP0tp1210Box342045B01PUBLIC1.pdf}}

{{commercial air travel}}

[[Category:Cargo airlines| ]]
[[Category:Air freight]]
[[Category:Airline-related lists]]
[[Category:Airline types]]