Monday, September 16, 2024 IndiGo, India’s largest airline, is anticipating a 17% surge in cargo operations for this fiscal year, driven by strong demand on both domestic and international routes, according to insiders from the company. Last year, IndiGo handled 387,047 tonnes of cargo, and the airline expects this figure to climb to 453,627 tonnes during the current financial year, as per the executives who spoke anonymously. The cargo division utilizes both dedicated freighters and the spare capacity available in its passenger flights.
Operating under the CarGo brand, IndiGo is actively expanding its freight services. Key Growth Drivers International cargo operations recorded a 3.7% increase, bolstered by the successful deployment of Airbus A321 freighters and a reduction in aircraft belly space due to high passenger loads.
IndiGo introduced its third A321 freighter in November of last year. In terms of capacity, IndiGo’s available cargo tonne kilometers (ACTKs) grew by 11% in 2023, surpassing pre-pandemic levels and marking a 2.5% increase compared to 2019.
The airline completed 1,182 cargo flights in FY24, transporting over 360,000 tonnes of goods. Despite these gains, IndiGo’s cargo operations represent a small portion of the total air freight carried by Indian airlines, which amounted to over 3.36 million tonnes on both domestic and international routes, according to Airports Authority of India data.
IndiGo’s Chief Commercial Officer added that while the ongoing Red Sea crisis has driven growth in air cargo, most benefits have been captured by carriers with routes extending into Europe and beyond the Red Sea. Additionally, IndiGo has significantly improved the daily utilization of its cargo aircraft, increasing from just 2 hours last year to 8-9 hours currently. Looking ahead, the airline expects to further boost its cargo capacity with the introduction of wide-body aircraft by 2027, aiming to strengthen its foothold in the freight sector.
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