The top passenger airline in India, IndiGo, is aggressively expanding into the cargo market. By the end of February 2024, it intends to start operating dedicated cargo flights to China. With Airbus A321 converted freighters, the airline has been expanding its service area to encompass many medium-haul foreign destinations in addition to local flights.
After experimenting with the cargo market over the last 18 months, IndiGo now wants to launch flights just for freighters to China. As China slowly recovers from the pandemic, IndiGo aims to meet the growing demand from this important Asian country for inbound aviation freight services.
It goes without saying that obtaining the necessary licences and regulatory permits is going to be crucial for these businesses. But according to recent sources, IndiGo might start operating these flights before the end of the month. Chief Commercial Officer (Cargo) Mark Sutch of IndiGo told BusinessLine:
"We are presently submitting an application for authorization to the Chinese civil aviation authorities. By late February, we want to launch this service."
If all goes according to plan, IndiGo hopes to begin service from Kolkata in East India to Guangzhou, with three weekly flights, one of which will also go to Mumbai.
In 2022, IndiGo made its first entry into the cargo market when it purchased its first Airbus A321P2F (Passenger To Freighter) aircraft. Two more A321P2Fs have since been added to the fleet, expanding its reach to include flights to local routes and destinations including Sharjah, Vietnam, and Myanmar.
Given the lack of major freight operators in India at the time, the pandemic highlighted IndiGo's unrealized potential in the cargo industry. According to Sutch, the airline currently carries about 30,000 tonnes of cargo each month and its revenue is growing at a pace of 10% annually.
IndiGo is gradually increasing the number of cargo destinations it serves as well as the frequency of its flights in order to reach an ideal daily fleet utilisation of eight to nine hours. To further increase its presence in China, the carrier is also looking at interline partnerships with Chinese airlines.
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