Who is king of cargo-only passenger flights?

When COVID decimated passenger travel last year, airlines pivoted to air cargo like never before, turning many idle aircraft into temporary freighters. It was an innovation born of necessity that helped bring in much-needed cash. 

Shippers were desperate when nearly all widebody aircraft were eliminated from service a year ago, because they carry more than 50% of total air cargo in the hold below people’s feet. Big freighters couldn’t make up the difference and airfreight rates skyrocketed. High yields convinced airlines to repurpose aircraft for cargo customers, even though passenger aircraft hold fewer goods by volume than pure freighters that can load heavy containers on the main deck.

In most cases, airlines flew cargo-only flights with shipments in the belly. But many airlines innovated further by putting personal protective equipment, clothing, toys and other lightweight boxes in the passenger cabin to increase capacity and revenue. They used special seat bags or netting to secure the boxes and also filled the overhead bins. And some airlines took more drastic steps by removing seats so they could floor-load boxes. Loading and unloading shipments in the passenger compartment is much more labor-intensive because boxes had to be hand-loaded through the narrow doors and aisles, but several carriers said the returns justified the extra expense.

So 12 months into the coronavirus pandemic, which airlines were most aggressive shifting to cargo and operated the most passenger freighters?