Welcome to Blue Dart Aviation Limited, the only Jet Cargo Aviation Company possessing B737-200 freighters in India, operating and connecting the metro cities of Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Calcutta.

Blue Dart has in-house Engineering, Quality Control, Ground Handling, Security facilities to meet the business of carriage of Express and Cargo loads on the above sectors.

Blue Dart is the only jet cargo airline in India who offer various services including Air Cargo Movement (Charters), Engineering, Software Development, Aviation Projects and Flight Handling Services.

For further information, do call or write to :

The Chief Operating Officer
BlueDart Aviation Ltd.,
88/89, Old International Airport
Meenambakkam Airport
Chennai - 600 027
INDIA.

Tel # 91 - 44 - 22561112 - 17
Fax # 91 - 44 - 22560067
91 - 44 - 22560982
Email : bdal@md2.vsnl.net.in

Blue Dart Aviation is a cargo airline based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It operates scheduled night express cargo flights and domestic and regional charters. It has an in-house maintenance capability and provides aircraft maintenance and engineering support to other users. Its main bases are Hindustan Airport, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Indira Gandhi International Airport and Chennai International Airport, with hubs at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport and Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

The airline was established on 31 May 1994 and started operations on 17 June 1996. It is wholly owned by Blue Dart Express (Tushar Jani (Chairman) and Khushroo Dubash).

Services

Blue Dart Aviation operates freight services to the following domestic destinations (at January 2005): Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.

Fleet

The Blue Dart Aviation fleet consists of 5 Boeing 737-200 aircraft (at January 2005).

4 cargo airlines wait in wings

P R Sanjai / Mumbai March 10, 2006

Shreyas Shipping, First Flight, TNT India and Flyington drawing up air cargo plans.

At least four new cargo airlines are waiting to take wing. The list includes Shreyas Shipping & Logistics, First Flight Couriers, TNT India and Flyington Freighters, a venture floated by media company Deccan Chronicle in association with a commercial pilot.

At present, Blue Dart Aviation is the only dedicated freighter in the country. The cargo movement last year was 1,374,062 tonnes—479,656 tonnes domestic and 894,768 tonnes international, according to Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Shipments within India are now carried in belly-hold space on domestic airlines and subsequently in trucks, vans and small delivery vehicles. The dedicated freighters could change the scenario, pointed out analysts.

The Mumbai-based coastal shipping company Shreyas Shipping & Logistics is planning to acquire freighters to move bulk cargo domestically. Shreyas Shipping Executive Director Anil Devli confirmed that the company was looking at options of acquiring cargo aircraft.

“We are strong in coastal shipping and now the focus is on landside infrastructure including warehouses and a logistics park. The next phase of expansion could be offering service via air,” Devli said.

A Flyington Freighters source said, “We are not acquiring any aircraft in the wake of high fuel prices and pilot salaries. We are watching the scene and looking for the right business model.”

International aerospace major BAE Systems’ arm BAE Systems Regional Aircraft recently signed long-term leases with courier company First Flight Couriers Private Ltd (FFCL) for three ATP freighters, which will be used by the company to start its own freighter operations.

“The company is poised to enter a new phase of growth and development with the creation of a domestic freight airline. Once we have our own aircraft to carry our shipments, we can tailor our products to offer better service,” said First Flight Couriers Deputy Managing Director RK Saboo.

Integrated logistics and express company TNT India, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dutch integrated distribution company TNT NV, also plans to induct dedicated freighters to India.

TNT’s parent company is flying 40 freighters across the world. Blue Dart Express is planning to acquire two Boeing 757-200 aircraft by the middle of this year for dedicated night operations.

Blue Dart currently operates five Boeing 737 feighters connecting Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

“This acquisition will help us to handle 250 tonnes per night against current 166 tonnes per night. We will also add Ahmedabad as our seventh aviation centre soon after inducting these two freighters,” said Blue Dart Senior Vice-President (marketing & projects) Tulsi Nowlakha Mirchandaney.

Meanwhile, national carriers Air-India and Indian Airlines are in the process of ramping up their cargo operations in a phased manner. Indian Airlines is planning to convert five of its Boeing 737s into freighter aircraft.

The airline would use Nagpur as hub to offer express and retail courier services. Air-India has firmed up plans for cargo operations by leasing two aircraft.

Blue Dart may buy two Boeing 757-200s

P R Sanjai / Mumbai February 22, 2006

Air express courier and logistics company Blue Dart Express will acquire two Boeing 757-200s by mid-2006 for dedicated night operations.

The company will add Ahmedabad as its seventh aviation hub soon after inducting the aircraft. Blue Dart currently operates five Boeing 737s connecting Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

The new B757s will have a payload of 28-30 tonne as against the capacity of 15 - 16 tonne of B737 aircraft, and 14 container space when compared with eight pallet space.

Tulsi Nowlakha Mirchandaney, senior VP (marketing & projects), said: "The acquisition will help us handle 250 tonne per night as against the current level of 166 tonne per night."

Declining to comment on the acquisition cost, Tulsi said the company has also not finalised the funding options.

"We have already registered 90% load factor on all routes. With the capacity augmentation, we could position ourselves as an integrated air express transportation and distribution company," Tulsi said.

She added that Blue Dart has entered into inter-line service agreements with 24 major international airlines for transhipment of custom-bonded import and export loads to and from six of India's main international gateways.

Blue Dart will also set up 45 new operation centres, warehouses and other pick-up points with an estimated investment of Rs 25 crore this year. "This will take us to a total of 257 offices across the country in addition to 149 franchisees. The company operates nine hubs spread out over 35 states in 13,880 locations supported by 3,429 vehicles," Tulsi said.