Reference

What each cargo aircraft can lift

Payload, hold volume, inside size and the door opening, from the 747-8F down to helicopters that land where there is no runway.

Open one aircraft

Sorted by the job they fly. Figures are published manufacturer or operator values. If a number is not published, that row is left out.

21 of 21 aircraft in view

Widebody freighters

Main decks tall enough for a standard pallet, with container holds under the floor.

Boeing 747-8F cargo aircraft Boeing 747-8F Largest series-built freighter, with a hinging nose 134,200 kg Open the type Boeing 747-400F cargo aircraft Boeing 747-400F Nose-door long-haul freighter of the previous generation 112,900 kg Open the type Boeing 777F cargo aircraft Boeing 777F Twin-engine freighter on the long-haul routes 107,000 kg Open the type Boeing 767-300F cargo aircraft Boeing 767-300F Medium widebody used by the integrators 57,000 kg Open the type

Outsize and ramp freighters

Ramp aircraft for pieces that will not go on a pallet or be taken apart.

Antonov An-124-100 Ruslan cargo aircraft Antonov An-124-100 Ruslan Heavy charter aircraft for pieces that will not split 120,000 kg Open the type Ilyushin Il-76TD cargo aircraft Ilyushin Il-76TD Ramp freighter built for rough, poorly equipped strips 48,000 kg Open the type

Narrowbody freighters

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

Boeing 757-200F cargo aircraft Boeing 757-200F Narrowbody that built the overnight express networks 36,000 kg Open the type Airbus A321P2F cargo aircraft Airbus A321P2F Single-aisle conversion with containers above and below 28,000 kg Open the type Boeing 737-400F cargo aircraft Boeing 737-400F Converted 737 that feeds the long-haul hubs 21,364 kg Open the type Boeing 737-300F cargo aircraft Boeing 737-300F Earlier 737 conversion on the same feeder job 19,460 kg Open the type

Regional and light freighters

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

ATR 72 Cargo cargo aircraft ATR 72 Cargo Larger ATR turboprop on the feeder spokes 9,200 kg Open the type ATR 42 Cargo cargo aircraft ATR 42 Cargo Shorter ATR for the thinner feeder spokes 5,700 kg Open the type Dornier 228 cargo aircraft Dornier 228 Light twin that uses very short strips 1,950 kg Open the type

Cargo helicopters

Rotorcraft that deliver where there is no runway, inside the cabin or on a sling.

Mil Mi-26 cargo aircraft Mil Mi-26 Heaviest-lifting helicopter still in service 20,000 kg Open the type Kamov Ka-32 cargo aircraft Kamov Ka-32 Coaxial rotors for lifts in a tight space 3,700 kg (5,000 kg slung) Open the type Eurocopter AS-332 Super Puma cargo aircraft Eurocopter AS-332 Super Puma Medium helicopter for offshore and utility lifts About 4,500 kg Open the type Mil Mi-8 cargo aircraft Mil Mi-8 General-purpose helicopter for sites with no strip 4,000 kg Open the type

Retired and historic types

Types no longer offered for commercial cargo, kept here so the record stays. Each entry says why.

Antonov An-225 Mriya cargo aircraft Antonov An-225 Mriya Largest aircraft ever flown, now lost 250,000 kg Open the type McDonnell Douglas DC-10F cargo aircraft McDonnell Douglas DC-10F Three-engine widebody freighter, now mostly withdrawn 65,000 kg Open the type McDonnell Douglas DC-8-71/73F cargo aircraft McDonnell Douglas DC-8-71/73F Stretched DC-8 re-engined for later cargo years 48,000 kg Open the type Boeing 727-200F cargo aircraft Boeing 727-200F Three-engine jet that started overnight express 24,042 kg Open the type

Nothing matches. Try another name or group.

Several photographs on these pages come from Wikimedia Commons under public-domain and Creative Commons licences. The photographer and licence are named on that aircraft’s own page.

What turns an airframe into a freighter

A cargo aircraft is built, or converted, to move freight. Many start as the passenger version: the cabin comes out, and the structure is changed for a different job. Fittings are simpler, the hold is more usable, the cargo door is larger, the floor is stronger, and systems on board slide a load into place.

The same kinds of change show up across types:

  • A high wing on the ramp freighters, so the cargo floor sits close to the ground and the hold stays clear of the wing box.
  • A stronger undercarriage, often with extra wheels, so a heavier and more concentrated load is spread out.
  • Cargo doors in the fuselage side, and on some types in the roof, large enough for a full-height pallet.
  • Nose and tail access on the outsize types: a hinging nose or a swinging tail, often with a ramp so cargo can be driven aboard.
  • A smaller flight-deck door and a rigid barrier between the crew and the cargo compartment.
  • No cabin windows, which cuts weight and simplifies the shell.

Those changes exist so loading and unloading take less time. Ground time is what an air freight operation actually pays for.