The National Aviation Company of India (NACIL) , the entity formed after the merger of Indian Airlines and Air India, is converting a number of its passenger aircraft into freight carriers as part of its plans to make cargo operations a strategic business unit.
Out of the nine airplanes that would be readied to fly under the Air India Cargo banner by first week of next month, five have been already converted into freight carriers.
“Consulting firm Accenture had suggested that making the cargo division as a strategic business unit (SBU) as part of giving NACIL a new avatar which has been accepted by the company. Hence, there is also a new focus on the business stream,” a NACIL spokesperson said.
While two Airbus A310s have already been converted, another two would be done by the end of this month.
Similarly, four Boeing 737-200s have been converted into freight carriers and another one would be completed by the beginning of next month, the spokesperson said.