CARGOCONNECT-APRIL2025 - Flipbook - Page 15
an order for 150 aircraft in January 2024, the
three Indian carriers together have ordered a total of
1,120 planes in less than one year as they expand their
presence. Altogether, domestic carriers are expected
to take deliveries of more than 1,600 planes in the
coming years, according to an analysis. As of March
2025, the combined 昀氀eet size of major Indian airlines
is approximately 847 aircraft. Former Union Civil
Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had been quoted
stating that the 昀氀eet size of Indian carriers will reach
1,500 to 2,000 by 2030.
In 2022, Indian airlines, including IndiGo, Bluedart,
Vistara, Air Asia and Akasa Air saw their cargo share
reaching 92% of pre-COVID levels. Moreover, the
market share in cargo tra昀케c has increased for most
airlines, particularly between 2019-2022, with IndiGo
emerging as the market leader in the air cargo industry.
This has been possible as the carrier increased its
belly cargo capacity, inducting new dedicated cargo
freighters and/or converting passenger aircraft into
cargo-only aircraft. Indigo dipped its toe into the
cargo business in November 2022 when it acquired its
昀椀rst Airbus A321P2F (passenger-to-freighter) aircraft.
Since then, two more A321P2Fs have joined its 昀氀eet,
enabling it to operate 昀氀ights to Sharjah, Vietnam, and
Myanmar, along with several 昀氀ights within India. The
airline today carries around 30,000 tonnes of cargo
per month, with revenue growing 10% year-on-year.
IndiGo is reportedly expanding its reach to China
and, since August 2024, have been operating freighter
昀氀ights between Kolkata, India, and Ezhou, China, as
part of its network growth. The airline plans to launch
dedicated freighter services, including three weekly
昀氀ights between Guangzhou and Kolkata, with
an additional route extending to Mumbai in
the works.
According to 2022-23 statistics, the bulk of
air cargo (about 81.5%) was handled through
belly cargo as compared to dedicated cargo
freighters (18.5%). However, there has been an
increase in the induction of dedicated cargo
昀氀eets supporting long-haul transportation,
growing from five dedicated freighters
during pre-COVID times to approximately
28 at present.
In particular, large airlines like Air
India and IndiGo have been at the forefront
of this growth. Seven months after IndiGo
launched its first dedicated freighter
under the IndiGo CarGo division in July
2023, Air India placed an order for 70
wide-body aircraft to enhance its cargo
export capabilities, providing non-stop
connections to international markets.
Furthermore, aircraft manufacturers
are playing a crucial role in meeting
the growing air cargo demand. In
August 2023, Airbus delivered its
Beluga aircraft to Hyderabad International Airport, one of the world’s largest cargo aircraft,
designed to transport oversized freight. Similarly, just
a few months earlier, in March 2023, Boeing entered
into a partnership with GMR Aero Technic to establish
India’s 昀椀rst Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) conversion
facility in Hyderabad, catering to both domestic and
international clients. Recent
reports also indicate that
Altogether, domestic
Israel Aerospace Industries
carriers are expected
is exploring the establishment
to take deliveries of
of a similar facility in India. In
more than 1,600 planes
another latest development, the
in the coming years, as
Adani Group is poised to enter
the P2F conversion market
per an analysis. As of
following its acquisition of a
March 2025, the
signi昀椀cant stake in Air Works,
combined fleet size of
India’s largest private Maintemajor Indian airlines is
nance, Repair, and Overhaul
(MRO) company, through its
approximately 847
Adani Defence and Aerospace
aircraft.
division.
The growth of e-commerce
is further pushing the envelope
for business opportunities. According to the International
Air Transport Association (IATA), e-commerce held
a market share of approximately 18% of air cargo
volumes in 2021, and this share is expected to increase
signi昀椀cantly, reaching 30% by 2027. E-commerce players
such as Amazon India have also made their entry into
the air cargo market. In January 2023, Amazon India
launched Amazon Air, leveraging the cargo capacity
of two Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by Quikjet
Cargo Airlines. Each aircraft is expected to transport
thousands of packages daily, servicing key routes
between Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai.
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