Page 17 - ITLN March - April 2022 issue

the AICCLAS (AAI Cargo Logistics and
As a result of Allied Services Company Limited) and
dedicated efforts, other ministries.
As a result of these dedicated efforts,
Air India Express Air India Express dramatically increased
dramatically its cargo business, from under 2% of its

increased its cargo topline to over 6% of topline, a three-
fold increase, during FY 2020- 21, and
business, from under April to December period of FY 2021-22,
2% of its topline to purely from cargo.
When the pandemic began and the
over 6% of topline, a country went into a complete lockdown,
three-fold increase, Air India Express helped Indian farmers
find international markets for their
during FY 2020- produce and helped to export over
21, and April to 35000 tons of produce worth more than
Rs1000 crores through this endeavour.
December period of “While the endeavour naturally

FY 2021-22, purely helped the airlines, it also ended up
and its aircraft fleet even during the helping our agricultural ecosystem
darkest days of the pandemic. from cargo. and our food growers. Cargo business
“The success of the cargo-in-cabin was in the spotlight at that point in
initiative can be attributed to the time and it was a fallback option. If
concerted efforts of our operations, the pineapple growers in Kerala would the passengers don't fly, the cargo
commercial, engineering, the cargo bring the fruits in vehicles, park, and try does. Air India Express earned trust
handling departments and airport to sell them at junctions at throwaway among the shippers and agents
services along with the support of prices. But once the exports started, community and today our belly cargo
regulatory authorities, cargo handling there was super demand, especially is going full. Due to these innovations
agencies and all other stakeholders from the Gulf. We shipped regularly for that we successfully executed during
including the government agency UAE-based Lulu Group and we played to the pandemic, we now get priority in
APEDA (Agricultural and Processed their schedules.” airports we operate from because we
Food Products Export). If you look at In many ways, the experiment also were there when our operations were
the social impact, this kind of agri and paved the way and cast a foreshadowing most required. In fact, today we are
marine produce would have been just of the flagship Krishi Udan 2.0 scheme shipping around 85 tonnes per day as
lying down there and these wouldn’t that was flagged by the Ministry of Civil belly cargo volumes from India.”said the
have gotten exported. I recall many of Aviation last October under the aegis of airline spokesperson.

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