Air India Cargo
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cargo airline |
| Founded | 1932 |
| Defunct | 2012 |
| Headquarters | Mumbai , India |
Area served | India, International (including Dammam, Frankfurt) |
| Parent | Air India |
Air India Cargo functioned as the freight airline branch of Air India, headquartered in Mumbai. Its operation of dedicated freighter planes was sporadic, with the latest period spanning from 2006 until 2012. Although it discontinued exclusive freighter flights, it still oversees the cargo space available in the belly compartments of Air India's passenger aircraft.
History
Founded in 1932, Air India Cargo initiated its cargo flight services using a Douglas DC-3, marking Air India as the pioneer Asian carrier to utilize aircraft solely for freight purposes.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the airline employed Boeing 747 and Douglas DC-8 freighters on international routes, operating through affiliated partner companies.
After the 2006 integration of Indian Airlines and its subsidiary Alliance Air into Air India, the cargo unit resumed freighter operations. This revival involved adding a Boeing 737-200C from Alliance's fleet and converting five additional passenger Boeing 737-200s into freighters. These six planes were assigned to domestic cargo routes.
Additionally, Air India converted four Airbus A310 aircraft for freight use, deploying them on routes such as Dammam to Frankfurt. Following the cessation of international freighter services, two A310s were leased to the newly formed Aryan Cargo Express, while another was sold to an African enterprise.
In November 2007, a collaboration was established between Air India and GATI to run dedicated freighter services utilizing Air India's Boeing 737 fleet.
Destinations
Up until January 2012, Air India Cargo operated freighter flights connecting major cities across India along with select overseas locations, supplemented by ground transportation via trucks on certain corridors.
- India
- Delhi
- Goa
- Gujarat
- Karnataka
- Kerala
- Maharashtra
- Manipur
- Tamil Nadu
- Telangana
- Uttar Pradesh
- West Bengal
International freight destinations encompassed cities including Dammam and Frankfurt, among others.
Fleet
As of January 2012, the Air India Cargo fleet consisted of six aircraft:[1]
| Aircraft | Total | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-200(Adv)F | 5 | Painted in a hybrid India Post livery |
| Boeing 737-200C(Adv)F | 1 | |
| Total | 6 |
Formerly operated aircraft
Related topics
External links
- ↑ "Air India fleet details". Archived from the original on 23 April 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2009.