KOCHI:
SpiceJet, the country’s biggest air cargo operator, is contributing in a big way to support Kerala’s farmers by transporting record quantities of fresh farm produce and supporting the government’s ‘Krishi Udan’ initiative.
Lending a helping hand to farmers and ensuring that the supply chain remains intact and farmers get to transport and export their produce in a timely and efficient manner during the nation-wide lockdown, SpiceJet has transported 724 tons of fresh farm produce to and from Kerala using its dedicated fleet of freighters and passenger aircraft and operating special cargo flights to various domestic and international destinations.
Kerala has been one of the major hubs for SpiceJet for transporting perishables. As part of its efforts to provide a boost to agro exports in the State, the airline has ferried 724 tons of fresh farm produce during the lockdown period till May 8, 2020 from Kerala to a host of domestic and international destinations. The key routes include Kochi-Abu Dhabi (297.6 MT), Kozhikode- Kuwait (115.5 MT), Kozhikode – Muscat (94 MT), Kochi-Kuwait (50.1 MT), Thiruvananthapuram-Abu Dhabi (16.6 MT), Thiruvananthapuram–Sharjah (16.5 MT) among others.
Ajay Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, SpiceJet, said, “These are the most difficult times for our farmer community who have been amongst the worst hit during this pandemic. In the absence of timely transportation farmers would have faced huge losses and we are happy that our cargo services have been of help to them. SpiceJet remains firmly committed to the Government’s all-out efforts in mitigating the adverse impact of the pandemic.”
Altogether, SpiceJet has transported over 20 lakh kilograms of fresh farm and shrimp produce during the lockdown period. This includes 950 tons of shrimp carried during the lockdown period, till May 8 and 1070 tons of fresh farm produce. The airline has transported a total of 6650 tons of cargo within and outside India.
SpiceJet has operated special cargo flights to and from Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Bangkok, Colombo, Dubai, Kabul, Myanmar, Sharjah, Male, Kuala Lumpur, Guangzhou, Bahrain, Cambodia, Ukraine and a host of other places.
SpiceJet has been continuously expanding its cargo network on both domestic and international routes carrying not just COVID-19 related medical supplies but also ensuring that vital export lines from India to other countries remain intact. The airline operated the country’s first cargo-on-seat flight on April 7 carrying vital supplies in passenger cabin & belly space. Since then, the airline has been regularly deploying its B737 and Q400 passenger aircraft to carry cargo in the passenger cabin.
Beginning April 2, SpiceJet has helped transport more than 4000 Coronavirus Rapid Test Kits to Kozhikode from Mumbai. On March 29, SpiceJet operated a special flight between Delhi and Jodhpur to facilitate transportation of 136 Indian passengers evacuated from COVID-19 hit Iran to a Government quarantine facility in the city.
SpiceJet operated a special charter flight on March 27 from Delhi to Coimbatore on Government’s request and transported a Hazmat suit that is helping local authorities replicate and start local manufacturing.
