Amazon signs contract with Quikjet for freighter ops in India

BENGALURU: Amazon has expanded its cargo freighter operations in India by signing a contract with Quikjet Airlines, a Bengaluru-based freighter operator that received the air operator certificate (AOC) a few months ago. Quikjet runs daily freighter operations, and the AOC is valid through 2027, sources told TOI.
The company completed trial runs over the last two months. A Boeing 737 freighter dedicated to Amazon's cargo touched down in Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) first on Thursday, and then again on Friday. “Friday's landing of Quikjet past 6 am in the morning was welcomed into Bengaluru by a team at KIA with welcome banners. The cargo plane later took off to Hyderabad,” the sources said. Quikjet’s B737 freighter carries up to 23 tonnes and is configured to take 11 pallets of cargo.
The sources said Quikjet will soon fly planes with Amazon's Prime Air branding in India.
QuikJet is part of the ASL Aviation Group, an aircraft services provider and leasing company based out of Ireland. ASL operates under its own branding in several European countries, and has joint ventures in a number of other countries. Quikjet was founded in 2007 as a neutral cargo airline. The company was promoted by AFL, under the aegis of Aviation Consultancy Services, and a few other strategic investors like IDFC, and Tata Capital. The airline is led by CEO Pritham Philip, who was part of the founding team of the erstwhile Air Deccan.
When TOI contacted Amazon, its spokesperson said, “We’re always working on new, innovative ways to serve our customers. However, at this point we don’t have any additional details to share.”
Amazon has its own fleet of aircraft too. Its first aircraft, Amazon One, took to the skies in 2016 to transport customer packages across longer distances in shorter timeframes. Recently, Amazon Air added 10 Airbus A330-300s, leased from aircraft lessor, Altavair, to its aircraft fleet.