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From New Year 2022, China will not accept cargo shipped in passenger aircraft cabins. The move will force the extension of high air fares.

Preighter is a neologism created by combining the words “passenger” (“passenger”) and “freighter” (“cargo”). It was first heard in an interview with the head of Lufthansa Carsten Spohr. It means a passenger aircraft temporarily used for the carriage of goods in the passenger cabin.

The need to use this type of aircraft arose with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pneumonia pandemic, when the demand for passenger transportation fell sharply. The Preighters were originally used to transport personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks and hazmat suits, from China.

Starting from the New Year, China will, with one exception, no longer accept this type of air travel, which will most likely end the temporary popularity of Preighter aircraft on flights to the Middle Kingdom.

CAAS requirements

The requirements of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) allow only one group of goods that can still be carried on passenger decks – items designed to combat the epidemic. At the same time, it will no longer be allowed to remove the seats in order to better configure the passenger compartment as cargo space and facilitate the loading and unloading of goods.

According to the CAAC bulletin, aircraft that have had their seats removed and modified must be returned to their original configuration.

The withdrawal of consent to the activity of the preighter is based on security concerns. “Mainly because of the principles of safe transportation, to avoid hidden dangers caused by the inability to securely secure cargo in the cabin of the aircraft,” the CAAC representative explained.

Many experts share the Chinese regulator’s view that passenger planes are simply not designed to carry cargo by air. Airlines have used many measures to prevent cargo from moving. Attention was also drawn to the fact that the screens of the IFE entertainment system or the box of this system, if not properly ventilated, could become hot. And this increases the risk of fire, so a designated crew member had to watch the loaded passenger compartment.

Rise of freight prices

While a ban on passenger air cargo could theoretically improve safety, at the same time it would reduce supply in the market, which would inevitably lead to higher freight rates.

“The new rules will further reduce the supply of air cargo in the market, exacerbating the lack of supply in the aviation industry at a time when new fuel prices are still high. On the other hand, the difficult situation related to the supply of air transport in the market may lead to the fact that part of the demand for air transport will be redirected to sea or land transport, which will lead to a further increase in delivery rates and, therefore, growth is expected. freight prices,” the CAAC analysis says.

Source: AircargoNews

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