Private airline SpiceJet on Thursday said that it has converted three of its Bombardier Q400 passenger aircrafts into freighters.
With the addition of these three cargo planes, the airlines now has a dedicated fleet of eight freighter aircraft. The three converted Q400 cargo planes will primarily be used for operations to smaller towns and cities.
“Our cargo operations are doing extremely well and to address the increased demand we have converted three Q400 passenger aircrafts into freighters.”
Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet
“These are our old 78-seater Q400s and have a cargo capacity of 8.5 tonnes each. These smaller cargo planes are perfectly suited for operations to tier 2 and 3 cities and to remote and hilly areas in the North-East, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh,” he adds
India imposed lockdown on March 24 to contain the spread of Virus. However, cargo flights, special flight and medical evacuation flights were permitted to operate as usual by the aviation regulatory DGCA.
In early April, just two weeks into the lockdown, Spicejet operated its first cargo-on-seat flight carrying 11 tonnes of vital supplies in the passenger cabin and belly space of a Boeing 737 aircraft.
SpiceXpress, a dedicated cargo arm of SpiceJet has been regularly transporting surgical supplies, sanitizers, face masks, among others and providing doorstep deliveries of essential supplies, medicines and medical equipment across cities.
Since the commencement of lockdown, the carrier has transported over 12,000 tonnes of cargo on more than 1,690 flights.
