Quickjet Airlines to launch freighter services

Quickjet Airlines, which is majorly owned by Dublin-based ASL Aviation is all set to launch its freighter services in the country with its maiden cargo flight to Bengaluru from here tomorrow.
Quickjet Airlines first cargo flight is scheduled to take off for Bengaluru at 1.20 am tomorrow from the Indira Gandhi International airport here, an airline spokesperson said.
The airline said it has deployed a 21.2 tonne capacity B737-400SF jet freighter for operations in India.
Quickjet would initially connect Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, offering four daily flights and operating overnight to link Delhi with Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad in the first phase.

In the second phase, it will connect Mumbai and Kolkata as the airline seeks to cover all major metro hubs, a release said.
ASL Aviation Group holds 78 per cent stake in the Bengaluru-based QuickJet, which was granted air operator permit by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation early this month.

"Quikjet will now offer a neutral cargo service and as it grows and aims to serve multiple customers, airlines, business and industry to help enable growth. In turn, this will benefit the Indian economy and this benefit will be felt more and more as Quikjet expands its operations in the months and years ahead," Hugh Flynn, Chief Executive of ASL Aviation Group said.

The airline is launching the freighter services for Mumbai based airport-to-airport logistics services provider Sovika Aviation, the release said adding that the services will also be available for domestic and international cargo charters.
"The launch of the B737 freighter service is also the launch of a much-needed new era in the Indian air cargo industry. We are significantly improving air cargo capacity. Our newly introduced connectivity with Sovika will provide a key advantage to the booming e- commerce industry," Quickjet Airlines' Chief Executive Preetham Phillip said.
ASL Aviation Group is a global aviation services provider, having operations across six continents with a fleet of more than 100 aircraft, the release said.

India has seen huge growth in the number of passenger
aircraft but the freighter segment in India has not grown, and there are now just seven freighter aircraft serving the seventh largest economy in the world, it said.
"In some cases belly space is unsuitable for large-sized shipments or certain categories of goods that cannot be shipped on passenger airlines for regulatory reasons. Our expertise and focus lies in providing much needed airport to airport air cargo connectivity," Phillip added.
ASL Aviation expects Quikjet to grow this partnership with Sovika, which is a Mumbai-headquartered airport-to-airport logistics services provider, and to expand its services to provide a range of aircraft with varying payload options to suit specific customer requirements.

"There is a real and significant market need and Quikjet is already building its capability to serve this need. We will be providing assistance and experience from the ASL airlines that currently serve the world's major express integrator brands, "Flynn added.