IndiGo is due to begin freighter operations with a fleet of Airbus A321 aircraft configured from passenger operations for full-freighter flights. Not to be confused with the so-called “pax-freighters” commonly seen nowadays, the full-freighters are due to be delivered in 2022.
This is according to a report by Business Standard. Citing sources, the report said that the airline is in talks to acquire up to five converted freighters from Airbus.
In October, IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta said that the airline was considering dedicated freighter services but had not come to a final decision on it. Citing sources, a report by the Economic Times mentioned that the airline was indeed in talks with Airbus about freighter options back in October.
IndiGo’s entrance into the cargo market is due sometime next year, with the first A321 converted freighter due for delivery in early 2022. “With its ever-growing fleet of narrow body, IndiGo already has the largest belly space in Indian skies but, pure freighters will give them an advantage on China-India-Africa & India-Gulf-world,” explains Business Standard journalist, Arindam Majumder.
The International Air Transport Association has, throughout the pandemic, clarified that the air cargo industry isn’t growing as perceived; the reduction in passenger aircraft in the skies means that belly cargo capacity has reduced. This forms a significant part of the air freight market capacity.
The transportation of vaccines, however, has indeed provided an increase in global air freight demand. For this reason, airlines like SpiceJet, Kenya Airways and Lufthansa among many others have introduced cargo-only aircraft into their networks (both passenger-freighters and full-freighters).
Majumder continues: “Will there be need of additional space when the 700 plus Indian aircraft plus the widebodies of Gulf are back in air?”
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Source: https://aeronewsx.com/indigo-to-launch-cargo-only-operations-in-2022/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=indigo-to-launch-cargo-only-operations-in-2022
