The Allure of Freighter Business is difficult to get away with , specifically , when you are not getting enough passenger loads in pandemic. And to add to that , the fact is e-Commerce is growing rapidly.
This had to happen sooner than later ! Being the largest Airline and travel network of india , cargo business could not get rid of indigo's plans !
On Wednesday, Indigo said that, it is in the process of sourcing four Airbus A321ceo aircrafts, and all of them will be converted from passenger versions to a full freighter configuration at ST engineering facility , which is the trend now.
"A Letter of Intent has been signed with a lessor for two aircraft already, and Indigo expects to reach agreement for the next two shortly. The initiative will make best use of the natural synergies that IndiGo offers, using the same pool of pilots and engineers that fly and service its current fleet," IndiGo said in a statement.
"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)," it added.
► IndiGo expects to take the delivery of its first freighter aircraft in the first half of 2022, and that will be used for both domestic and regional freight missions.
► The remaining three aircraft in the initial commitment are expected to arrive within a year or so from the arrival of the first freighter, and further aircraft may be sourced depending on market development.
► With the conversion plan, indigo will get to use total 24 ULD (Unit Load device) containers, out of which 14 ULDs will be in the Main deck (Upper) and 10 ULDs will occupy the Lower deck , that can facilitate around 13% more volume for operations.
"Our investment in the Airbus Freighter Programme will help strengthen our product and services in the segment, and not only help accelerate our own business recovery but also be a strong engine of economic growth for the country," said Ronojoy Dutta, Chief Executive Officer and Wholetime Director, IndiGo.
“CarGo has been a success story over the last year, scaling new heights and creating new records, but our belief in the cargo business goes beyond the special circumstances right now. IndiGo was already the largest carrier of cargo in domestic India before Covid-19, and we expect the market to continue to grow after the pandemic," Dutta added.
Singapore Technologies Engineering (ST Engineering) , Airbus and their joint venture, Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) had achieved a key milestone in their joint A321 passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion program in the month of September 2020, with the re-delivery of the ‘head of version’ to launch customer, Vallair.
Later, the A321 converted freighter ( A321P2F) , operated by Qantas for Australia Post, entered into service on October 27, 2020.
Pictures : Indigo , Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) .
