Air India is looking to lease three Airbus A310 freighters and one Boeing 747-400F to support the resumption of a dedicated cargo operation early next year, following a nine-year hiatus.
The 747-400F is set to replace two Boeing 747-300 Combis on services to Bangkok, Frankfurt and Tokyo. The A310Fs are needed from the end of March to replace the loss of belly capacity resulting from swapping mainline A310s for Air India Express Boeing 737-800s on passenger routes to the Middle East.
Air India withdrew from the dedicated cargo market in 1996. It has chosen the A310F and 747F for its new freighter fleet because of commonality with its passenger fleet. Dry leases of three years are being pursued.
Source: Flight International
