Leading private carrier, SpiceJet today operated its maiden Boeing 737 SpiceXpress freighter flight to Myanmar carrying medical supplies from the capital.
On its return journey, the aircraft brought back medical equipment from Myanmar to Delhi.
SpiceJet said it also conducted its maiden ‘cargo-on-seat international flight’, a Boeing 737 aircraft, from Mumbai to Abu Dhabi the same day, carrying 15 tonnes of fresh fruits and vegetables.
“We have been continuously expanding our cargo network on both domestic and international routes carrying not just COVID-19 related medical supplies but also ensuring that vital export lines from India to other countries remain intact. We operated our first freighter flight to Myanmar today carrying medical supplies to and from Yangon,” SpiceJet Chairman & Managing Director Ajay Singh said.
“Our cargo-on-seat operations have significantly increased from April 7 when we operated India’s first cargo-on-seat flight to operating our first international cargo-on-seat flight to Abu Dhabi today,” Singh added.
Since lockdown, SpiceJet has operated more than 430 cargo flights, including 135 international trips carrying over 3500 tons of cargo.
On April 15, the budget carrier operated its first-ever cargo flight to China carrying COVID-19 related essential medical supplies from Shanghai to Hyderabad and a freighter transporting farm produce from West Bengal to Colombo the same day.
On April 10, SpiceJet operated its first-ever cargo flight from Hyderabad to Ho Chi Minh City carrying medical supplies while another cargo freighter brought in critical medical equipments to Bengaluru from Singapore. On April 9, the airline operated its first cargo freighter on the Chennai-Singapore-Chennai route to bring critical medical equipment and devices to India.
Earlier on April 7, SpiceJet created history by operating the country’s first cargo-on-seat flight carrying 11 tonnes of vital supplies in the passenger cabin. Since then, the airline has been regularly using its Boeing 737 aircraft to carry cargo in the passenger cabin.
On April 3, SpiceJet has operated SG 7005 and SG 7051 flights carrying essential supplies from Mumbai to Abu Dhabi and Surat to Chennai. On April 2, SpiceJet transported 1000 Coronavirus Rapid Test Kits to Kozhikode from Pune.
On March 27, the airline carried hazmat suits to Coimbatore from Delhi to help local authorities replicate and start local manufacturing. On March 26, SpiceJet helped transport an emergency consignment of IR Thermometers, required to detect COVID-19, to Kolkata from Hong Kong.
SpiceJet has also been operating special cargo flights to Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and other countries taking fresh fruits and vegetables and helping Indian farmers maintain continuity of their supply chains in addition to operating dedicated services from Chennai and Vishakhapatnam to Surat and Kolkata.
SpiceJet’s dedicated cargo arm, SpiceXpress has been regularly transporting surgical supplies, sanitisers, face masks, among others and providing doorstep deliveries of essential supplies, medicines and medical equipment in more than 15 cities across the country.
With utilising SpiceXpress fleet, SpiceJet has transported over 4000 Coronavirus Rapid Test Kits to Kozhikode from Mumbai beginning April 2.
