SpiceJet today operated its first cargo freighter on the Chennai-Singapore-Chennai route.
The Boeing 737 freighter aircraft ferried critical medical equipment and COVID-19 related medical supplies.
SpiceJet said it will operate a second freighter flight on Friday carrying medical supplies from Singapore to Bengaluru.
“SpiceJet’s freighters have been flying non-stop carrying vital supplies to and from Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and host of other places including Southeast Asia,” said SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh.
“Since the lockdown began, we have operated around 200 domestic and international cargo flights, transporting more than 1,500 tonnes of cold chain medical supplies, medicines, medical devices for various state governments, medical and pharma companies, along with essential supplies,” he added.
On April 7, SpiceJet created history by operating the country’s first cargo-on-seat flight carrying 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.
Earlier 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 26, SpiceJet helped transport an emergency consignment of IR Thermometers, required to detect COVID-19, to Kolkata from Hong Kong. On March 27, the airline carried hazmat suits to Coimbatore from Delhi to help local authorities replicate and start local manufacturing.
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. 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 Bengaluru, Patna, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Raipur, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam, Srinagar, Thiruvananthapuram, Vadodara, Kochi, Guwahati, Jammu, Lucknow among other cities. With utilising SpiceXpress fleet, SpiceJet has transported over 4000 Coronavirus Rapid Test Kits to Kozhikode from Mumbai.
