By Staff Correspondent
Building on the success of the CarGo business in recent years, IndiGo, India’s leading carrier has received its first A321 Freighter aircraft, converted from a passenger jet to a full freighter configuration. The initiative will make the best use of the natural synergies that IndiGo offers, using the same pool of pilots and engineers that fly and service its current fleet. The aircraft will be used for both domestic and international missions by transporting products such as valuables, express shipments, perishables, general cargo, documents, and couriers.
Mr. Mahesh Malik, Chief Commercial Officer-CarGo, IndiGo said: “We are pleased to receive our first A321 freighter aircraft in 6E fleet. CarGo has always been a success story for us especially highlighted during the pandemic. The CarGo business brought in revenues when the scheduled commercial flights were at a standstill. Our partnership with the Airbus for Freighter programme will further help strengthen our business in the CarGo segment, and act as a strong engine of economic growth for the country. We remain optimistic on the future of Indian aviation, clearly, and the place of CarGo within it – and the expansion into a true freighter fleet is a testament of this confidence.”
The A321P2F (Passenger-to-Freighter conversion) is the most efficient narrow-bodied freighter available, offering 24 container positions and supporting a payload of up to 27 tonnes. These are being converted through a programme involving ST Engineering and Airbus with their joint venture, Elbe FlugzeugWerke (EFW). The aircraft is uniquely capable for IndiGo, using our current vast pool of A320 family pilots, and able to service markets between China in the east and the Gulf in the west, not forgetting the CIS countries to the north.
