INDIA's largest airline, IndiGo, is about to buy its first freighter to cash in on the international air cargo bonanza at a time when passenger travel is down if not out, reports Bloomberg.
An indigo CarGo-branded aircraft was spotted this week at Seletar Airport in Singapore's north east. Seletar is a much smaller airport than Changi Airport, serving mainly private jets, a few regional commercial flights and hosting a hub for maintenance and repair shops.
The dedicated cargo jet, registered as 9H-AMQ, is an Airbus SE A321 that's previously been used by carriers including Aeroflot PJSC, Lithuanian group Avion Express UAB and Thomas Cook Airlines, according to Planespotters.net.
A representative for IndiGo said delivery to India was likely to be in August although a precise date has yet to be advised.
Demand for dedicated cargo jets jumped when Covid-culled air travel and carriers weren't able to transport freight in the belly hold of passenger aircraft, which were grounded.
Some 60 per cent of all international air cargo capacity flew in the holds of passenger jets, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Carriers resorted to temporarily converting some passenger jets to freighter planes, pulling out seats to carry packages and boxes inside their main cabins.
Said IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta: 'Cargo is strong and all the signs are there that cargo will continue to be very strong going forward.'
SeaNews Turkey
An indigo CarGo-branded aircraft was spotted this week at Seletar Airport in Singapore's north east. Seletar is a much smaller airport than Changi Airport, serving mainly private jets, a few regional commercial flights and hosting a hub for maintenance and repair shops.
The dedicated cargo jet, registered as 9H-AMQ, is an Airbus SE A321 that's previously been used by carriers including Aeroflot PJSC, Lithuanian group Avion Express UAB and Thomas Cook Airlines, according to Planespotters.net.
A representative for IndiGo said delivery to India was likely to be in August although a precise date has yet to be advised.
Demand for dedicated cargo jets jumped when Covid-culled air travel and carriers weren't able to transport freight in the belly hold of passenger aircraft, which were grounded.
Some 60 per cent of all international air cargo capacity flew in the holds of passenger jets, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Carriers resorted to temporarily converting some passenger jets to freighter planes, pulling out seats to carry packages and boxes inside their main cabins.
Said IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta: 'Cargo is strong and all the signs are there that cargo will continue to be very strong going forward.'
SeaNews Turkey
