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Cargo Aircraft Guide

What each aircraft in commercial air cargo service can actually carry: payload, cargo volume, hold dimensions and door size, from the 747-8F down to the helicopters that deliver where there is no runway.

What makes an aircraft a freighter

A cargo aircraft is built, or converted, to carry freight rather than passengers. Many are the same airframe as the passenger version with the interior taken out and the structure changed to suit a different job: simplified cabin fittings, more usable hold, larger cargo doors, a stronger floor and on-board systems for moving a load into position.

The design changes that separate a freighter from the passenger aircraft it came from are consistent across types:

  • A high-wing layout on the ramp freighters, which puts the cargo floor as close to the ground as possible and keeps the hold clear of the wing structure.
  • A reinforced undercarriage, often with more wheels, to spread a heavier and more concentrated load.
  • Cargo doors cut into the fuselage side, and on some types the roof, sized to take a full-height pallet.
  • Nose and tail access on the outsize types: a hinging nose or a swinging tail, frequently combined with a ramp so cargo can be driven straight in.
  • A reduced flight-deck door and a rigid barrier separating the crew from the cargo compartment.
  • No cabin windows, which saves weight and simplifies the shell.

Every one of those changes exists to make loading and unloading faster, because time on the ground is what an air freight operation actually pays for.

Aircraft in commercial cargo service

Grouped by what they are used for. Every figure below is a verified manufacturer or operator specification; where a value is not published for a type, the row is left out rather than estimated.

Showing 21 of 21 aircraft

Widebody freighters

Full-height main decks taking standard pallets, with containerised lower holds beneath.

Boeing 747-8F cargo aircraft Boeing 747-8F The largest freighter ever built in series 134,200 kg Specifications Boeing 747-400F cargo aircraft Boeing 747-400F The nose-loading long-haul classic 112,900 kg Specifications Boeing 777F cargo aircraft Boeing 777F The long-haul twin-engine workhorse 107,000 kg Specifications Boeing 767-300F cargo aircraft Boeing 767-300F The medium widebody standard 57,000 kg Specifications

Outsize and ramp freighters

Ramp-loading and volumetric aircraft for cargo that cannot be palletised or broken down.

Antonov An-124-100 Ruslan cargo aircraft Antonov An-124-100 Ruslan The outsize charter heavyweight 120,000 kg Specifications Ilyushin Il-76TD cargo aircraft Ilyushin Il-76TD The rough-field ramp freighter 48,000 kg Specifications

Narrowbody freighters

Converted single-aisle airframes that feed the hubs and fly the short, frequent express sectors.

Boeing 757-200F cargo aircraft Boeing 757-200F The express network narrowbody 36,000 kg Specifications Airbus A321P2F cargo aircraft Airbus A321P2F The growing single-aisle freighter 28,000 kg Specifications Boeing 737-400F cargo aircraft Boeing 737-400F The regional feeder freighter 21,364 kg Specifications Boeing 737-300F cargo aircraft Boeing 737-300F The earlier 737 conversion 19,460 kg Specifications

Regional and light freighters

Small turboprops and light twins that serve thin routes and short, lightly built strips.

ATR 72 Cargo cargo aircraft ATR 72 Cargo The larger ATR feeder freighter 9,200 kg Specifications ATR 42 Cargo cargo aircraft ATR 42 Cargo The smaller ATR feeder freighter 5,700 kg Specifications Dornier 228 cargo aircraft Dornier 228 A light STOL twin for short strips 1,950 kg Specifications

Cargo helicopters

Rotary aircraft delivering to sites with no runway, in the cabin or on a sling.

Mil Mi-26 cargo aircraft Mil Mi-26 The world's heaviest-lifting helicopter 20,000 kg Specifications Kamov Ka-32 cargo aircraft Kamov Ka-32 Coaxial rotors for precision lifting 3,700 kg (5,000 kg slung) Specifications Eurocopter AS-332 Super Puma cargo aircraft Eurocopter AS-332 Super Puma The offshore and utility workhorse About 4,500 kg Specifications Mil Mi-8 cargo aircraft Mil Mi-8 The general-purpose cargo helicopter 4,000 kg Specifications

Retired and historic types

Aircraft no longer available for commercial cargo work, kept here for reference. Each entry states why.

Antonov An-225 Mriya cargo aircraft Antonov An-225 Mriya The largest aircraft ever built 250,000 kg Specifications McDonnell Douglas DC-10F cargo aircraft McDonnell Douglas DC-10F A widebody trijet freighter 65,000 kg Specifications McDonnell Douglas DC-8-71/73F cargo aircraft McDonnell Douglas DC-8-71/73F The re-engined DC-8 freighter 48,000 kg Specifications Boeing 727-200F cargo aircraft Boeing 727-200F The original overnight express jet 24,042 kg Specifications

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Many of the aircraft photographs here are reproduced from Wikimedia Commons under public-domain and Creative Commons licences. Where that is the case, the photographer and licence are credited on that aircraft’s own page.

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