State-owned Indian Airlines may become the second airline in India to have dedicated freighters and plans to do this by converting five of its Boeing 737-200 passenger aircraft to cargo configuration once it takes delivery of Airbus A319s, writes Leithen Francis.
Indian Airlines wants freighters because it has "too much mail and express freight" and is encouraged by the success of privately owned Blue Dart, says Indian Airlines. Blue Dart is the only dedicated cargo carrier in India and operates 737-200Fs, some of which were previously passenger aircraft sold by Indian Airlines.
Indian Airlines will be converting five 737-200s into freighters and these aircraft will continue to be operated by subsidiary Alliance Air, says the airline. It remains unclear when the conversion work will start because it depends on when Indian Airlines takes delivery of its A319s, the carrier adds.
In mid-2004, the airline issued a tender for the lease of A319s, which it had hoped to receive from November 2004, but it failed to meet this timeframe and now it is unclear when the first aircraft will arrive.
A source in Indian Airlines' engineering department says it has been keeping its 737-200s up to the latest specifications. "As we get the A319s, then five of the 11 737-200s will be converted into freighters," the source says. This work is "likely to start end of this year", the source adds.
Indian Airlines has yet to select a company to perform the work, but the carrier "is evaluating offers" and has talked to US conversion specialist Pemco, the source adds. India's government says Indian Airlines' new cargo operation will have its base and main hub in the central city of Nagpur.
Source: Flight International
