Definition
Any flight operation conducted for the carriage of property or mail only, with no passengers on board, performed under the applicable Federal Aviation Regulations governing commercial cargo flights.
Plain English
A flight that carries only freight or mail. No passengers are on board.
Context Anchor
Seen in airline, charter, and regulatory discussions about what rules apply to flights that carry freight instead of passengers.
Derivation
Cargo comes from the Spanish word cargar, meaning “to load.” That helps because cargo is the load being transported, not the people traveling as passengers.
Why Pilots Care
Cargo-only rules affect crew duty limits, aircraft equipment requirements, and operational procedures.
Intuition Check
Do not assume “all-cargo” means absolutely no people are on the aircraft. It means the operation is not carrying regular passengers; certain authorized people may still be aboard.
Example Sentence 1
The company runs an all-cargo operation between Memphis and Louisville every weeknight.
Example Sentence 2
In an all-cargo operation the crew follows freight loading checklists instead of passenger boarding procedures.