SpiceJet launches air cargo arm

Low-cost carrier SpiceJet introduced air cargo services on Monday when it also inducted its first freighter aircraft. The services will be offered under the brand name SpiceXpress, which will be set up as a separate business unit under SpiceJet Limited. The cargo flight services would commence from September 18. To begin with, the operations would cover Delhi, Bengaluru, Guwahati, Hong Kong, Kabul and Amritsar. The first cargo plane inducted by SpiceJet is a Boeing 737-700. The airline plans to add four more freighter aircraft during the current fiscal. “The freighter aircraft will be acquired on pure operating leases and haven’t incurred any major CAPEX,” chairman and managing director Ajay Singh said.

An exclusive cargo fleet will allow the airline to increase the capacity of cargo currently carried by it in the belly of its passenger aircraft from 500 tonnes per day to 900 tonnes a day in a phased manner, the airline said in a statement. It will deploy its common pool of resources like pilots, engineers, ground staff, airport infrastructure for this service.

SpiceJet currently offers cargo capacity on its 58 passenger aircraft across 47 domestic and seven international destinations.