Air Cargo Containers
Air cargo containers are an important part of the global supply chain and logistics industry. They are used to transport freight by air, and play a critical role in ensuring that goods and products get where they need to go quickly and efficiently.
There are a variety of different types of air cargo containers, each designed for a specific type of freight. Some containers are designed for general cargo, while others are made specifically for hazardous materials or animals. All air cargo containers must meet stringent safety and security requirements, in order to ensure the safety of the passengers and crew on board the aircraft.
The first air cargo container was invented by Eugene H. Franklin in 1956. The “Big Brown Box”, as his invention came to be known, revolutionized the transportation industry, and is still an integral part of it today.
Franklin’s idea for what he described as a “universal shipping container” was inspired by an aluminum train car that he had seen at the 1952 Seattle World’s Fair. He used this concept to design a large metal box divided into several small compartments. Each compartment could be easily accessed without disturbing the cargo inside, making loading easier and faster than before.
After years of testing prototypes, Franklin finalized his design in 1956, just three weeks shy of his deadline for submission into consideration for the Century 21 Exposition in Seattle. He called his invention a “Big Brown Box”, and although Franklin never saw his container become widely used, it paved the way for the modern air cargo container that is still in use today.
In 1972 United Airlines was awarded a contract to transport mail from Los Angeles to Chicago on a Boeing 747 aircraft. In order to handle the large volume of mail that would be carried by their plane, they had an initial 48 containers specially designed and built to fit inside the plane’s cargo bay. The idea proved so effective that other airlines soon followed suit, and before long most commercial planes were equipped with some sort of cargo hold with custom-sized compartments for shipping containers.
Airlines over the world now use cargo containers to transport nearly all types of goods by air. According to Boeing , “air cargo has grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of greater than 6 percent over the past 20 years, and it is expected to grow 2-3 percent per year for the next 15-20 years.”
Today there are many different kinds of containers in use, designed specifically for various types of freight. General cargo and break bulk shipments typically use metal boxes, while oversized cargo such as vehicles and large items may use plywood boxes called flatracks . Other special purpose containers include tanks for liquid cargoes, cryogenic storage containers for super-cold materials such as liquefied natural gas (LNG), and animal transport containers used to safely carry live animals.
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