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We entered the secret crew rest area of ​​a DHL Boeing 777 freighter, with bunk beds and reclining seats.

We entered the secret crew rest area of ​​a DHL Boeing 777 freighter, with bunk beds and reclining seats.

Cargo flights typically operate at night and pilots need a place to sleep. Business Insider took a look at the crew rest area and other features of a DHL Boeing 777 freighter at the Farnborough Airshow in the United Kingdom last week. The bunk beds and rest area give pilots the features they need to

Cargo flights typically operate at night and pilots need a place to sleep.

Business Insider took a look at the crew rest area and other features of a DHL Boeing 777 freighter at the Farnborough Airshow in the United Kingdom last week.

The bunk beds and rest area give pilots the features they need to stay alert on long-haul flights while alternating shifts in the cockpit.

The Boeing 777-200LR was originally a long-haul airliner flying with Delta Air Lines until the airline sold it during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was then converted into a cargo plane by the American company Mammoth Freighters.

Business Insider took an onboard tour with DHL’s senior vice president of global air fleet management, Malcolm Macbeth.

It was fascinating to see what life is like on board for pilots transporting everything from small packages to semiconductors to live animals.

This DHL cargo plane was at the center of the aircraft display at the Farnborough Airshow.


A side view of a DHL Boeing 777 on display at the 2026 Farnborough Airshow

The DHL cargo plane, registered as N703DN, was open for tours throughout the week.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

After Delta retired the plane, it spent six years out of service before being converted.

“This plane basically didn’t fly for six years and now it’s about to fly again,” Macbeth told Business Insider. “So, it’s a 16-year-old airplane, but it’s really only closer to 10.”

The entire passenger interior was dismantled and the floor beams were replaced with stronger metal ones.


The interior cargo hold of a DHL Boeing 777

The loading area.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

It is usually much cheaper to convert a passenger plane into a freighter than to buy a new plane.

This aircraft can carry a payload of up to 102 tons.

At the front, much of the galley has been transformed into a crew rest area.


A wide shot of the forward crew area on a DHL Boeing 777

The supernumerary area includes seating, a kitchen and a sleeping area.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

This part of a cargo plane is called the supernumerary area.

Pilots and mechanics have top priority as they may need to be redeployed for work, although all DHL staff are allowed on board for business trips. DHL, a multinational package delivery corporation based in Germany, has a fleet of more than 200 aircraft. That includes 35 regular Boeing 777F aircraft. It has 13,777 converted by Mammoth.

“We joke that there are all these guys traveling in private jets, well we have the biggest private jet ever,” Macbeth said.

Above the four seats there are cabinets to store belongings.


A wide view of four chairs and storage containers in the front of a DHL Boeing 777

The bureaucracy was there to prevent the entry of other visitors who toured the plane.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

Below there are also chargers for passengers.

Macbeth said he sometimes flies on DHL planes from the company’s British hub at East Midlands Airport to the US base in Cincinnati, rather than spending thousands of pounds on a British Airways flight from London Heathrow.

The seats include leg rests and can recline up to 45 degrees.


Four seats, one of them reclined, on board a DHL Boeing 777

Two buttons are used next to the armrest to adjust the position.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

We were able to try it out and while it wasn’t as good as a lie-flat seat in business class, it was definitely comfortable and at least as good as premium economy.

In front there is a small kitchen area for the crew and passengers to prepare their own meals.


The kitchen of a DHL Boeing 777

To the right there is also a small closet.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

You may not get the same level of catering as a passenger airline, but there is enough to get you through hours-long flights.

And on one side, a door opens to a small sleeping area.


The crew rest area with two small beds inside a DHL Boeing 777

The crew rest area has a curtain that closes for privacy.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

Cargo flights operate at all hours and, especially on a Boeing 777, over very long distances. So, they take three or four pilots on alternating shifts to fly the plane.

It seemed like a very small space.


A wide shot of the crew rest area on a DHL Boeing 777

There is also a phone inside to make sure no one falls asleep.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

On airliners, many crew rest areas are located above the cabin roof. So although the beds are essentially in a closet, there is generally more space.

Inside was another USB-C charger.


A goggle bag and USB charging outlet inside the crew rest area of ​​a DHL Boeing 777

Inside there are some features that will make life easier.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

And a bag to store glasses or a phone.

We also take a look inside the cabin.


The cockpit of a DHL Boeing 777 on display at the 2026 Farnborough Airshow

The Boeing 777 cabin.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

The beds may not have been the most spacious, but they are of a similar standard to what pilots and flight attendants experience on airliners.