Originally Posted by
lsquare
Given how old the B767s are, is it even worth converting them for freight use? Oil prices will eventually climb back up at some point. Wouldn't it be expensive to operate the aircraft at that point?
In addition to the great post from
Error 601, keep in mind that a lot of freighters have low utilization, i.e. they sit around on ramps a lot of the time (which is part of why they can fly for so many more years). Less time in the air means less fuel burned than passenger aircraft. Obviously the fuel burn per hour of flight is still going to be higher on the old planes, but the up-front cost to acquire them is also a lot lower than the cost to acquire newer, more fuel-efficient planes. For freight operators, that math typically works out in favour of the older planes.