Lufthansa Group: Austrian Airlines, the Boeing 737 MAX and the cargo problem

When airlines weigh different aircraft models, factors such as fuel consumption, noise emissions, range and seating capacity are taken into account. But sometimes it's about something different, which often receives less attention from the public: for many airlines, it is also important what cargo capacity the model offers.

This is more important on long roads than on short and medium roads. But it often plays a role there, too. This is currently evident at Austrian Airlines. The Austrian airline is one of two Lufthansa subsidiaries preferred to operate the 40 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft ordered by the parent company. The other is Eurowings.

Question about the cargo loading system

At a press conference on the quarterly numbers on Wednesday (October 30), Commercial Director Francesco Ciortino indicated that Austrian Airlines was not worried about the Boeing 737 MAX – and again pointed to the plane's missing cargo loading system. The manager had already explained in an interview with aeroTELEGRAPH in September: “Boeing has advantages, but also disadvantages, such as the lack of a cargo loading system, which also means a big change for us.” The fleet decision has been discussed within the Lufthansa Group, but “opinions differ on that as well.”

But what actually lies behind the reference to the missing cargo loading system, known as CLS for short? It's a system by which standard-sized shipping containers (called unit load devices, or ULDs for short) are pushed into an aircraft's cargo hold and held in place there. Staff then secure them in this position using safety mechanisms installed on the floor of the cargo hold. Cargo and passenger luggage can be loaded into containers.

Different airlines, different requirements

The Boeing 737 MAX does not have such a system. Therefore, baggage and goods are loaded disassembled, i.e. without containers. This has not only drawbacks. The weight of the cargo loading system is eliminated. Sometimes baggage can be loaded faster with a fast-acting ground crew without containers and a loading system compared to. Low-cost, passenger-focused airlines with fast turnaround times at airports are happy to ditch the system and containers.

On the other hand, airlines in large airline groups with diverse networks like to work with containers. Lufthansa Cargo, which also markets cargo capacity on passenger aircraft across the entire Lufthansa Group, specifies container locations in two cargo spaces for the Airbus A320 Ceo and A320 Neo: “Forward cargo space: 3 places 156 x 153 cm. Rear cargo area. 4 positions, 156 x 153 cm. Cargo Space 5: Bulk cargo only. For the A321 there are five positions each.

The current Austrian medium-haul fleet

Austrian Airlines currently operates 29 Airbus A320 Ceo and six A321 Ceo aircraft, which will be replaced by new aircraft. There are already five new A320 Neos.

This video shows how loading with CLS on an Airbus A320 works in principle: