Leading Indian carrier, SpiceJet on Monday announced its plans to induct the first wide-body cargo aircraft- an Airbus A340 to its freighters fleet. The airline stated in a release that the induction of the Airbus A340 will help the carrier to operate cargo flights on long-haul routes like destinations in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), African region, and Europe.
SpiceJet, with the latest induction, will now have a dedicated fleet of nine freighter aircrafts consisting of five Boeing 737s, three Bombardier Q-400s, and one Airbus A340.
Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet said in a release, “The induction of our first wide-body cargo aircraft will be a huge game changer in our journey as the country’s largest cargo operator. We are confident that our long-haul cargo flights would further help boost Indian businesses, farmers, pharma companies providing them seamless access to newer markets.”
The release mentioned that SpiceJet as an air cargo services provider has operated over 5,600 flights transporting over 31,000 tonnes of cargo since March 25, 2020. The airline operated first cargo-on-seat flight carrying essential supplies in passenger cabin and belly space on April 07, 2020 and since then, the airline has been regularly deploying its Q400 and B737 passenger aircrafts to carry cargo in the passenger cabin.
SpiceJet’s international cargo network now covers over 41 international destinations that include Almaty, Baghdad, Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Bahrain, Cairo, Cambodia, Colombo, Cebu, Doha, Dhaka, Guangzhou, Dubai, Ho Chi Minh, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Male, Kuwait, Myanmar, etc.
The airline has also been actively using the Ras Al-Khaimah airport as a hub for its cargo operations.
