FReepers, please check your cargo shipments insurance to see if it covers spontaneous combustion.
https://twitter.com/FATIIIAviation/status/1285853073965891584
Somewhere a wannabe terrorist is kicking himself - “that was supposed to catch on fire AFTER the plane took off”
International shipping regs are very restrictive on what can be shipped in an aircraft.
You can’t even ship lithium batteries in cargo.
Anything that is spontaneously combustible would be a no no.
Shanghai Pudong International Airport (IATA: PVG, ICAO: ZSPD) is one of the two international airports in Shanghai and a major aviation hub of East Asia. Pudong Airport mainly serves international flights, while the city's other major airport Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport mainly serves domestic and regional flights in East Asia.
Located about 30 kilometres (19 mi) east of the city center, Pudong Airport occupies a 40-square-kilometre (10,000-acre) site adjacent to the coastline in eastern Pudong. The airport is operated by Shanghai Airport Authority.
The airport is the main hub for China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines, and a major international hub for Air China, as well as secondary hub for China Southern Airlines. It is also the hub for privately owned Juneyao Airlines and Spring Airlines, and an Asia-Pacific cargo hub for FedEx, UPS and DHL. The DHL hub, opened in July 2012, is reportedly the largest express hub in Asia.
Pudong Airport has two main passenger terminals, flanked on both sides by four operational parallel runways. A third passenger terminal has been planned since 2015, in addition to a satellite terminal and two additional runways, which will raise its annual capacity from 60 million passengers to 80 million, along with the ability to handle six million tons of freight.
Dr. Fauxi says U.S. deaths could be in the TRILLIONS, almost as many as the number of black slaves that were thrown overboard on the way to the U.S. during slavery (as stated by the deceased genius Rep. John Lewis).
Ethiopian has been heavily reliant on cargo operations during the coronavirus crisis. The airline has received no state aid, and CEO Tewolde Gebremariam has previously said he has no plans to ask for it either. While other carriers have struggled, Ethiopian has managed to pay all staff salaries, and even thorough the worst of the crisis, it kept its links with China flying.
Key to Ethiopian’s survival has been its ability to quickly diversify into cargo operations. It rapidly adapted 20 passenger planes for cargo ops, making it a valuable goods mover for the African continent and further afield. In an interview last month, Gebremariam commented,
“As soon as the passenger transport business came to a halt, we were able to turn to cargo and maintenance. We doubled our cargo capacity, we converted 20 passenger aircraft for cargo in addition to the 10 Boeing 777s and two Boeing 737 Cargo aircraft that we had. We will continue to expand in this segment. This will allow us to generate cash until the passenger business resumes.”
As such, the cargo operations of Ethiopian have kept its liquidity healthy through the travel downturn. In April, the airline had boosted its cargo network from 10 destinations up to a massive 74, moving valuable goods as well as shipments of PPE and medical equipment for the world to put up a fight against COVID.
The loss of one cargo aircraft is unlikely to upset the applecart as far as Ethiopian’s operations go. However, with a list price of over $300 million, it’s a lot of cash burning away right there. Ethiopian will be insured for this type of loss, however, but it will be interesting to see what is decided to be the cause of the blaze.