Boeing is focusing more on converting passenger aircraft into cargo aircraft. According to Ted Colbert, head of the US company's service arm, capacity in this area has nearly doubled since the start of the pandemic. And Boeing would still be looking at opportunities to further expand this capacity, for example in Asia.

Initially, the aircraft manufacturer had twelve production lines for converting passenger aircraft. There are already 22, Colbert said at the Singapore Airshow. Seventeen lines are for Boeing 737s and five for 767s, he said.

The reason for this development is the increased demand from airlines for cargo aircraft. Due to the pandemic, there are far fewer passenger flights. This also means that less cargo can be carried in the hold of those aircraft. Additional cargo flights are needed to compensate for this.

In addition, it can be lucrative for airlines to use aircraft that would otherwise be parked for freight transport. Aviation industry association IATA said last month that global cargo capacity is still limited, pushing up prices in the cargo industry. In December, rates were nearly 150 percent above 2019 levels, the last year before the virus outbreak, according to IATA.

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