The ULD Story

So this is the story.

What is an LD3? It is basically a box, suitably stressed and certified for air transportation, of about 158 cubic feet capacity and having a gross weight of 3500 pounds. It is 64 inches high, 79 inches wide and 60 inches deep, with a corner cut off to take account of the sides of aircraft underfloor cargo holds. For ease of handling and because they are often better sized for the intended load, LD3s are half containers and in all wide bodies, bar the Boeing 7ffl, are loaded in pairs. The 7ffl can accommodate the LD3 but only in a single file. Under the heading of LD3 are the AVA and AVC containers. The latter is only for the Boeing 747 and has less of the corner removed. Otherwise, the containers are the same in all essential respects.

What is an LD2? This half container was developed by Boeing specifically for the 7ffl as the standard container would have left too much wasted space. Smaller than the LD3, it has a volume of 120 cubic feet and a gross weight of 2700 pounds. Dimensions are 61½ inches by 60 inches by 64 inches. They are. of course, capable of being carried in other wide bodies, but do not make good use of the available room.

How many LD3scan an aircraft carry? A standard 747 can take up to 30, though Qantas’s 747-238Bs, with their lower lobe galleys. Can carry only 24. Qantas normally carry a mixture of containers and pallets and on the Pacific, for example, a typical load would be 12 LD3s and 4 pallets. An Airbus A300B4 can accommodate 20 LD3s and a 7ffl only 11.

Who has LD3s in Australia? Qantas is the main user with over 800 units. TAA has 268 forkliftable LD3s for use with its A300 fleet. 7ffl operator Ansett has LD2s.

Do they get lost? “Our records show we lost exactly none in the last year,” said Qantas Capacity Control Manager, Athol Crawford.

“Never,” said TAA’s Col O’Brien. “Though we did have one go astray for a while, it has since returned.”

According to Mr Crawford, Qantas still has some of its original LD3s and accident damage and age is more likely to claim them than disappearance.

How do the airlines keep track of them? Every station served by Qantas carries out a physical check of the LD3s on hand and a record is kept of all containers loaded and removed from aircraft. The system is being computerised and in the long term the control of LD3s will be fully automated The airline will be able to establish the whereabouts of all its containers at the push of a button.

Control at TAA is already fully computerised using a program exclusively written to keep track of the containers. The computer keeps an up-to-date inventory and maintains records of LD3s sent off-airport for handling or maintenance.

How is the interlining of LD3s controlled? Qantas 1s a member of I ATA and interlining is controlled by the Multi-Lateral ULD Control Agreement. All containers handed over to other operators. or received are dutifully receipted and recorded by an IATA computer in Montreal. In this way. LD3s can be interlined with a third carrier or more and Qantas is able to find out exactly where they are.

If not returned within five days, Qantas claims demurrage and the container is given up as lost if not found within 180 days. Other airlines which interline with Qantas can claim demurrage under the same conditions. System-wide, Mr Crawford says. Qantas pays out 2112 days of demurrage per container, due mainly to industrial disputes and tardy freight forwarders.

”As a matter of policy, TAA does not interline its LD3s with other carriers,” said Col O’Brien, so quashing any suggestion that TAA was having a problem finding its LD3s. TAA is also an IATA member but has less generous demurrage penalties. The airline claims after 48 hours but is dealing with local freight forwarders rather than fellow member airlines.

TAA carries about 50–60 containers a week for international airlines.

What is an LD3 worth? Both TAA and Qantas provided the same figure – $1440.

Who makes them? Specialist equipment manufacturers in the States and Europe like SATCO.

What are the advantages of using LD3s (and LD2s)? Speeding up turn-round times is one reason for using cargo containers. On the Qantas network baggage for intermediate ports isloaded in LD3s and slipped off the aircraft quickly on arrival.

Another is freight forwarders and consolidators can pack and unpack containers off-airport reducing the size of expensive on-airport facilities. Airport space is at a premium and the more freight that can be handled off-airport the better.

Containerisation also makes interlining easier as containers can be taken off one aircraft and just placed on another flight. It also reduces exposure to damage and pilfering.

Which is best – LD3 or LD2? In reality, there is very little difference.

The 767 can carry the LD3, though it does waste a bit of space. Other wide bodies can interline LD2s, but again they are not ideally sized.

Some 767 operators, notably Air Canada, CP Air and Trans World are using LD3s on their aircraft, presumably because they have large numbers of other wide bodies. It could be expected that airlines that acquire large fleets of 7ol may standardise on the LD2 for their other aircraft.

That there has been a controversy over the relative merits of LD2s and LD3s is indicative of the importance of air cargo today and the effect the capacious holds of wide bodies have had on the market.

Next time you are at an international airport, and you see the lines of containers queuing to be loaded, remember these innocuous boxes have probably done more flying, visited more countries and flown with more airlines that most of us could ever hope to emulate.

Wonder how much it would cost to turn one into a self-contained flat?