Freighters are designed around large loads
Main-deck cargo doors, reinforced floors and container-handling systems let dedicated freighters carry pallets and shipments that cannot fit below a passenger cabin.
Networks often center on sorting hubs
Shipments from many cities arrive in waves, are transferred through automated warehouses and depart again toward their destination regions.
Night flying can be especially valuable
Express networks often collect parcels late in the day, sort them overnight and deliver them the next morning, making nighttime airport access critical.
Payload and volume both matter
A dense shipment can hit an aircraft's weight limit while light e-commerce parcels can fill the available volume first. Airlines plan around whichever constraint applies.
Cargo demand follows different cycles
Industrial production, pharmaceuticals, perishables, e-commerce and urgent spare parts can support routes that would make little sense for passengers.
Freight economics can support specialized fleets
Cargo airlines may operate converted passenger aircraft, purpose-built freighters or very large aircraft for unusual loads, depending on the market they serve.
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