Quick Links An airline with a unique history and a different business model A leader in postwar cargo aviation The airline began to diversify its operations even further Financial challenges and the end of operations Today, the air cargo world is dominated by just a few players, with American giants UPS Airlines and FedEx Express dominating the market with massive fleets and extensive networks . Amid the rise of online shopping, more packages are shipped every year, bringing in consistent revenue streams for airlines like UPS and FedEx . Get all the latest aviation news from Simple Flying! These streams of revenue, which allow cargo airlines to thrive today, did not exist throughout the 20th century, and cargo airlines of the time were forced to operate very different models.
Many historical cargo airlines operated without the massive centralized hub-and-spoke overnight shipping networks popularized by UPS and FedEx today . Some cargo airlines used to focus explicitly on certain markets, some of which flew exclusively long-haul and some of which marketed themselves as alternatives to the lower-speed (but often significantly cheaper) container ships. These now-defunct airlines have been mostly relegated to the history books.
However, there are a few that remain as interesting case studies for us to analyze today, despite them halting operations decades prior. Cargo airlines are undoubtedly not all the same. One such airline is Seaboard World Airways, a cargo-only carrier that .
