American Airlines with its first all cargo flight in 36 years



After drastic restrictions on both international and domestic connections, American Airlines is switching to freight services. The carrier has announced it will be shipping medical supplies, mail, electronics and other goods on its first all cargo flights in 36 years, using one of its airliners that have been grounded by the Wuhan virus pandemic.

We have a key role to play in sustaining the necessary flow of goods at this unprecedented time, and we are proud to do our best to continue serving our customers and our community, '' Rick Elieson, President of Cargo and vice president of international operations for American Airlines. "Tough times call for creative solutions, and a team of people across the airline are working continuously to provide our customers with all cargo flight options," added Elieson.

The first AA-only voyage since 1984 started Friday from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and landed on Saturday at Frankfurt Airport (FRA), Germany. Upon its return, the Boeing 777-300 will fly one more round trip to the FRA. According to American Airlines, all four planned flights will be used for freight for the transportation of medical supplies, mail for US troops stationed in Europe, telecommunications equipment and electronics to support those working from home, and goods circulated through e-commerce. For obvious reasons, all operations will be handled by the minimum number of people necessary for their safe implementation.

Thursday's announcement from American Airlines is a response to the special situation faced by the whole world in connection with the Wuhan virus pandemic. The demand for travel, among other things, has dropped to unprecedented levels. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump said that in the time of the health crisis, the airline industry is gaining number one position in the means of transport used to contain the situation. The White House announced that it would spend 50 billion dollars to fight the coronavirus, which appeared in Chinese Wuhan at the end of last year, only to infect most countries in the world a few months later.

Find more information here: American Airlines Cargo