SpiceJet (SG, Delhi International) is planning to commence dedicated freighter operations later this month, Chief Project Officer Manjiv Singh has revealed.
Speaking to Indian Transport & Logistics News, Singh said the Indian low-cost carrier was on track to add its first P2F-converted B737-800 later this month ahead of the launch of daily flights from Guwahati to Hong Kong International, a key export market for goods made in India's Northeast region.
SpiceJet plans to operate a fleet of twenty dedicated freighters by 2022. The aircraft, which will be sourced from Boeing's facility in China as well as from Israel Aerospace Industries' Bedek unit, will be deployed on both domestic Indian routes and flights abroad.
Aside from its mainline passenger operations and its now nascent cargo business, SpiceJet is also involved in online retail and even has plans to venture into the seaplane business.
Last week, Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey told India's PTI news agency that government had approved a proposal for the first wave of waterdromes around India. Those thus far identified include Chilika Lake in Odisha, Sardar Sarovar Dam and Sabarmati River Front in Gujarat.
The project will be done on a pilot basis and could even see amphibian flights being factored into the next round of India's Regional Connectivity Scheme (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik - UDAN), Choubey added.
It is recalled that in October last year, SpiceJet signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOR) with Japan's Setouchi Holdings for the acquisition of more than 100 Quest Kodiak 100 amphibians for use in the UDAN scheme.
SpiceJet has said it wants to use the Kodiaks to develop service to towns and settlements where poor airport infrastructure precludes the use of larger aircraft. Many of the targetted places lie in India's North, its coastal regions, as well as the Andamans and Lakshadweep archipelagos.
