American Airlines Adds Cargo Capacity to Carry Critical Goods

by Janeen Christoff
Last updated: 5:16 PM ET, Thu April 9, 2020

American Airlines is expanding its cargo capacity to help transport critical goods during the coronavirus outbreak.

The airline will provide more than 5.5 million pounds of capacity this month to help transport life-saving medical supplies and materials to the U.S., including personal protective equipment, pharmaceuticals, automotive equipment, fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, mail and electronics.

"The air cargo industry plays a critical role in pulling the world together in times of crisis, and it takes all of us to get the job done," said Rick Elieson, president of cargo and vice president of international operations. "With the expansion of American's cargo-only flights, we have more capacity to bring critical medical supplies and protective gear to the areas that need it most. We also play a key role in transporting essential goods to keep the world's economy moving. I take immense pride in all the ways our airline and our industry are responding to make a difference when the world needs us most."

The airline began running cargo-only flights in March between Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and Frankfurt (FRA).

It was the first time that they had done so since 1984, and the flights were carrying mail for active U.S. military, telecommunications equipment and electronics to support communities impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) health crisis around the globe.

American is now expanding its cargo-only flights to multiple destinations, including flights from DFW to Dublin (DUB) and Hong Kong (HKG) and between New York (JFK) and London Heathrow (LHR). The airline is also working toward adding cargo-only service to Shanghai (PVG) and Seoul (ICN) and between Miami (MIA) and Buenos Aires (EZE) by the end of the month.

The airline continues to carry cargo on all of its passenger flights. The carrier is currently operating 17 weekly flights between DFW and LHR, MIA and LHR and DFW and Tokyo Narita.

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.