United Cargo, the freight division of United Airlines, is replacing its entire fleet of LD3 containers with new Herculight S containers, designed by Zodiac Aerospace. United Cargo, the first carrier to use the new containers, will begin replacing its current LD3s with 8,500 Herculight S units later this year.
At just 121 pounds each, the Herculight S is one of the lightest containers on the market, weighing 79 pounds less than United’s current LD3s. The new units will enable United to increase the cargo payload on its high-demand and weight-restricted flights.
In addition, the carrier will be able to reduce its fuel consumption by 2 million gallons and its CO2 emissions by more than 19,400 metric tons each year once the entire fleet is replaced. United said it will work with local vendors to recycle the approximately 200 pounds of recyclable material in each retired LD3.
“This purchase is the latest of United Cargo’s many strategies to minimize the environmental impact of air cargo transport,” said Jan Krems, president of United Cargo. “We recently also replaced 1,000 of our PMC pallets with a lighter-weight design from Zodiac.”