Indian airline SpiceJet, on Monday, informed that it will soon induct its first Airbus A340 cargo aircraft to its fleet of dedicated freighters. With this induction of the first wide-body freighter, the airline will be able to primarily operate cargo flights on long-haul routes including destinations in Europe, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and African region, SpiceJet said in a release.
Further, this will enable the airline to have a dedicated fleet of nine freighter aircraft consisting of five Boeing 737s, three Bombardier Q400s and one Airbus A340 cargo aircraft.
“The induction of our first wide-body cargo aircraft will be a huge gamechanger in our journey as the country’s largest cargo operator,” SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh said.
He said the airline very soon will be operating non-stop cargo services across the globe to destinations in Europe, Africa and CIS countries which until a few months back would have been unthinkable.
“We are confident that our long-haul cargo flights would further help boost Indian businesses, farmers, pharma companies etc. providing them seamless access to newer markets,” Singh added.
As per the release, SpiceJet as an air cargo services provider has operated over 5,600 flights transporting over 31,000 tonnes of cargo since March 25, 2020.
On April 7, 2020, the airline operated India’s first cargo-on-seat flight carrying vital supplies in the passenger cabin and belly space to cater to the demand. Since then, the airline has been regularly deploying its B737 and Q400 passenger aircraft to carry cargo in the passenger cabin.
SpiceJet’s international cargo network now spans over 41 international destinations that include Almaty, Abu Dhabi, Baghdad, Bahrain, Bangkok, Cambodia, Cairo, Cebu, Colombo, Dhaka, Doha, Dubai, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Male, Myanmar, among others.
