SpiceJet has converted three Bombardier Q-400 aircraft into freighter aircraft, taking the cargo fleet to eight planes. The company said that it has added more planes into its cargo fleet to address the "increased demand".

The newly converted freighter aircraft will primarily operate to Tier II and Tier III cities.

“Our cargo operations are doing extremely well. These are our old 78-seater Q400s and have a cargo capacity of 8.5 tons each. These smaller cargo planes are perfectly suited for operations to Tier II & III cities and to remote and hilly areas in the North East, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh," Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh said.

Currently, SpiceJet operates cargo operations across 25 international destinations. SpiceJet operates cargo operations via its dedicated arm called SpiceXpress.

"We see a tremendous potential in the cargo business and will continue to expand in the times to come," Singh added.

So far, the airline has transported over 12,000 tons of cargo on more than 1690 flights over the last two months and has transported medical and surgical supplies, sanitizers, face masks, coronavirus rapid test kits, IR thermometers. etc. and provided doorstep deliveries of essential supplies, medicines and medical equipment to various cities in India.

The airline has added Sudan, South Korea, Cebu, Huangzhou, Tashkent, Baghdad, Cambodia, Guangzhou, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh,

Hong Kong, Shanghai, Bangkok, Colombo, Dubai, Kabul, Myanmar, Sharjah, Male, Kuala Lumpur, Ukraine, Nepal and Indonesia to its international cargo network.

After the DGCA allowed airlines to carry cargo in passenger aircraft, the airline has also regularly deployed its B737 and Q400 passenger aircraft to carry cargo in the passenger cabin, the airline added.

SpiceJet is the second largest airline in the country and had 16 percent market share as per DGCA air traffic report of March.

First Published:May 28, 2020 11:25 AM IST