New Delhi: Low-cost carrier SpiceJet on Tuesday operated its maiden freighter flight carrying 17 tons of critical medical and essential supplies from Kolkata to Cebu, Philippines.
The airline deployed its Boeing 737 freighter aircraft for the assignment which departed for Cebu from Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International airport early this morning.
Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet, said, "Today, we are operating 64 cargo flights and these include flights to multiple international destinations. SpiceJet remains firmly committed towards ensuring that vital trade routes between India and other countries remain intact.”
Till date, SpiceJet has transported close to 6750 tons of cargo on more than 950 flights since the nation-wide lockdown began. Of the 950 flights operated, 350 were international cargo flights.
SpiceJet has operated special cargo flights to and from Baghdad, Cambodia, Guangzhou, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Bangkok, Colombo, Dubai, Kabul, Myanmar, Sharjah, Male, Kuala Lumpur, Ukraine and a host of other places.
The airline operated the country’s first cargo-on-seat flight on April 7 carrying vital supplies in passenger cabin and belly space.
In India, passenger air services are banned till May 17 but the government has allowed movement of cargo flights, evacuation flights and some special flights permitted by the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
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