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Aviation glossary

ULD

Unit Load Device · Also: unit load device, air cargo container, LD3

The aircraft

Standardised container or pallet in which baggage and freight are consolidated so they can be loaded onto an aircraft as a single unit.

What it is

Rather than loading hundreds of items one by one, wide-bodies and freighters take their load already consolidated in ULDs: aluminium or composite containers shaped to fit the hold, or flat pallets on which cargo is secured with nets. Rollers and guides in the hold floor let handlers move each unit into place and lock it down.

The different types are identified by IATA codes, and the best known is the LD3 container, with one corner bevelled to follow the curve of the fuselage; two LD3s fit side by side in the lower hold of aircraft such as the Boeing 777 or Airbus A350. ULDs speed up turnarounds and protect the cargo, and because they count as aircraft equipment they are inspected and repaired to aviation standards.

On Vuelopedia

Boeing 777

Related terms

Cargo holdCargo compartment, usually located beneath the cabin floor, that carries checked baggage, freight and mail on a passenger aircraft. FreighterAircraft used solely to carry cargo, with no passenger cabin, a strengthened floor and a large cargo door on the main deck. Wide-bodyAirliner with two cabin aisles and usually seven to ten seats per row in economy; the dominant type on long-haul routes. Ground handlingServices an aircraft receives on the ground between flights: passenger handling, baggage, cargo, fuel, cleaning, catering and pushback. Cargo airlineAirline dedicated to carrying freight, operating freighter aircraft rather than passenger flights, either on its own account or on behalf of other companies.
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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). ULD. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/uld

MLA

“ULD.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/uld. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “ULD.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/uld.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) ULD. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/uld (Accessed: 16 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_uld,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{ULD}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-09},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/uld},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/uld}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-16},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/uld |title=ULD |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}

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