Indias new cargo airline starts up

AIR Deccan is to start operations of its news cargo airline – Deccan Cargo Express Logistics – in May. Deccan Cargo will take delivery of three A310 freighters starting in the first week of April.

Until the company’s back-end warehousing is up and running, the airline will fly the Dubai-Mumbai-Delhi-Hong Kong route for time-definite deliveries. It has also signed up to the Multimodal International Hub Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN), which is being developed by the regional government.

GR Gopinath (above right), founder of airlines, said: “Today, cargo that lands in Mumbai can take a week to get into industrial clusters in the hinterland. With a hub in Nagpur, we will provide connectivity to 60 cities overnight.”

The A310Fs will connect large cities and then turboprops will distribute cargo to and from smaller cities and towns.

India only has six dedicated freighters compared to 120 in Europe.