newstodate.aero

May 19, 2021 (newstodate): Finnair has obtained EASA's  Supplement Type Certificate, STC, for one of its Airbus A330 aircraft.
   With the STC certification approving the major modification with all seats removed from the cabin, the aircraft is permitted for carrying all types of general cargo as well as operating all-cargo flights into the US market.
   In April 2021 Finnair received permission to continue operating with modified A330 aircraft until the end of the year.  
   Promising results from the all-cargo operations led the company to make further modifications for one of the Airbus A330 aircraft in order to further expand business opportunities beyond the Covid-19 related general cargo shipments.  
   One Airbus A330 aircraft has thus now completed STC modification, having wider opportunities for carrying cargo than previous version by inclusion of the business class cabin space, in addition to the economy cabin space earlier used.
   The middle kitchen also has been removed to facilitate loading of full-size wooden pallets through the center doors, and each cargo area inside the cabin is built with more stable ULD type, holding maximum of 440kg cargo in 1,27m height per unit.  
   Total cargo weight allowed for the aircraft, including lower level cargo holdings and cabin space is around 44 tonnes, cabin loading 15 tonnes.
   In Q1/2021, Finnair operated 547 all-cargo flights lifting a total of 11,781 tonnes in the first quarter, and cargo continued to account for over 50 per cent of the company's revenue.
    The carrier performed its first all-cargo flight on March 28, 2020, with an Airbus A350-900 passenger aircraft between Helsinki and Seoul, while on March 28, 2021, the number of all-cargo flights rounded 1,800 operations.
   Three Airbus A340-300 and two Airbus A350-900 passenger aircraft have had seats removed to offer capacity for cabin cargo as well as belly freight, and other all-cargo flights are performed with belly cargo-only on other Finnair aircraft.
   In 2020, Finnair lifted a total of 71,733  tonnes, of which 26,036 tonnes were transported on all-cargo flights.