We went inside the secret crew rest area on a DHL Boeing 777 freighter, with bunk beds and reclining seats

Author Pete Syme with a DHL Boeing 777 that's outfitted with features to keep its crew rested over long-distance flights. Pete Syme/Business Insider

A DHL cargo plane was on display at the Farnborough Airshow in the UK.

We got a tour from an executive in charge of managing DHL's fleet.

The crew's bunk beds looked cramped, but there were reclining seats, too.

Cargo flights often operate throughout the night — and pilots need a place to sleep.

Business Insider got a look at the crew rest area and other features on a DHL Boeing 777 freighter at the UK's Farnborough Airshow last week.

The bunk beds and rest area provide the pilots with the features they need to stay sharp on long-haul flights as they alternate shifts in the cockpit.

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

Then, it was converted into a cargo plane by the American company Mammoth Freighters.

Business Insider got a tour on board with DHL's senior vice president for global air fleet management, Malcolm Macbeth.

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

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

Pete Syme/Business Insider

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

"This plane was basically not flying for six years, and now it's about to get flying again," Macbeth told Business Insider. "So, it's a 16-year-old airplane, but is only actually closer to 10."

All the passenger interior was stripped out, and the floor beams were replaced with stronger metal ones.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

It's typically much cheaper to convert an airliner into a freighter than to buy a new plane.

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

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

Pete Syme/Business Insider

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

Pilots and mechanics get top priority as they may need to be repositioned for work, although all DHL staff can go on board for business trips. DHL, a multinational package delivery corporation headquartered in Germany, has a fleet of over 200 planes. That includes 35 regular Boeing 777F aircraft. It has 13 converted 777s on order from Mammoth.

"We joke that there are all these guys going around in private jets , well, we've got the biggest private jet of anybody," Macbeth said.

Above the four seats are cupboards for storing belongings.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

Underneath those are chargers for the passengers, too.

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.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

We got to try it out, and while it wasn't quite as good as a lie-flat business class seat, it was definitely comfy and at least as good as premium economy.

Opposite is a small kitchen area for the crew and any passengers to prep their own meals.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

You might not get the same catering standard as a passenger airline, but there's enough to get by for hourslong flights.

And to the side, a door opens up to a small sleeping area.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

Cargo flights operate at all hours and, especially on a Boeing 777, over very long distances. So, they bring three or four pilots to alternate shifts flying the airplane.

It seemed a very tight space.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

On passenger planes, many crew rest areas are located above the cabin ceiling. So, even though the beds are essentially in a cupboard, there's more space overall.

There was another USB-C charger inside.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

And a pouch to store glasses or a phone.

We also got a peek inside the cockpit.

Pete Syme/Business Insider

The beds might not have been the roomiest, but they're a similar standard to what pilots and flight attendants experience on passenger airliners.

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