First Airlines Removed Economy Seats For Cargo. Now Business Seats Are Being Swapped For Medical Freight At Air Astana During Coronavirus

It is no longer surprising to see empty aircraft – not flights without passengers, but planes stripped of seats so medical cargo can be carried in the cabin. The latest airline to modify passenger jets for freight is going even further.

Most modifications so far – Air Canada 777s, Lufthansa A330s – have removed only the economy class seats while leaving the business class cabin installed.

But the premium lie-flat seats are also coming out of the 767s at Kazakhstan’s Air Astana, a spokesperson confirms.

The change will increase capacity. Air Astana encountered limitations when flying its 767s on cargo-only flights with a normal cabin installed.

“We must strictly enforce European Aviation Safety Agency weight and volume regulations regarding cargo placed on seats,” Air Astana director of freight Zhanna Shayakhmetova said.

Air Astana’s business class utilizes around a quarter of the cabin floor space, and it plans to modify all three of its 767-300ERs for cargo.

“We’ll be able to considerably increase the volume of transported goods and offer our customers more flexible conditions,” Shayakhmetova said.

Removing only economy class seats is a quick win. Economy typically takes up the most floor space of an aircraft. The seats come in sets with cushion, back rest and tray table already assembled.

Gaining the extra capacity from the premium cabin is more difficult and time-consuming work. Individual seats have multiple parts intricately assembled. There is additional wiring for lights, power outlets, and IFE monitors.

While the 767 is usually not thought of as a new aircraft, Air Astana’s are only about six years old and were received with a modern interior.

Yet despite a relatively young age, its “converted semi-cargo” 767s may not return to passenger service – another reason to remove seats in all cabins.

Air Astana told Flightglobal it will decide by the end of July on a full cargo conversion. Perhaps in anticipation of an affirmative outcome, the airline has already launched a dedicated “Air Astana Cargo” division.

Full conversion work is long, requiring floor strengthening while the fuselage is cut open to install a cargo access hatch.

The 767 originally gave Air Astana range, enabling flights too long for its narrowbody aircraft that otherwise offered smaller, and more desirable, capacity.

Air Astana last year received its first A321LR, enabling the long and thin markets typical of Kazakhstan. But the trade-off of such long-range narrowbodies is significantly reduced cargo payload.

While demand will ease for urgent COVID-19 medical supplies, general cargo needs will persist. Air Astana is 51% owned by sovereign wealth fund Samruk Kazyna.