IndiGo commences cargo flights between Delhi and Mumbai

India's budget airline IndiGo on Tuesday commenced operations of its first cargo aircraft between Delhi and Mumbai. The aircraft, A321, converted from a passenger jet to a full freighter configuration will be used for general freight on the inaugural Delhi- Mumbai flight, while carrying general and e-commerce CarGo on the return leg, the airline said.

These inaugural flights will carry a payload of more than 20 tons on each leg. IndiGo welcomed its first 321F last month after which it got all registration done. "Progressively this aircraft and the next aircraft which is expected to arrive later this year will be deployed on international routes too," IndiGo said.

Mahesh Malik, Chief Commercial Officer - CarGo, IndiGo said he was excited at kicking off a new chapter in the airline's journey with the inaugural CarGo flights. "Delhi and Mumbai are the two biggest commercial hubs in the country, and the response we have received from customers for our service offering is very encouraging. We expect the business to grow over the coming few months, as we expand our fleet of freighters and add new destinations to our CarGo network,” Malik said.

IndiGo said 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. The aircraft are being converted through a programme involving ST Engineering and Airbus with their joint venture, Elbe FlugzeugWerke (EFW), it said.

IndiGo has leased the aircraft from funds serviced by Castlelake Aviation Holdings (Ireland) Limited, part of a global alternative investment firm with 17 years of tenure investing in, financing, and managing aviation assets.