SpiceXpress launches its first scheduled cargo flight from Chennai to Singapore on 20 February 2021

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

SpiceXpress, the cargo subsidiary of SpiceJet, has launched twice-weekly services between Singapore and three Indian cities – Bengaluru, Chennai and Mumbai. The cargo airline's first scheduled flight from Chennai landed at Changi Airport on 20 February 2021 at 11.15 am. Using a B737F aircraft, the new services will provide additional airfreight capacity between Singapore and India.

SpiceXpress was launched by SpiceJet to handle its cargo operations in September 2018 and has since expanded its fleet to 19 cargo aircraft, including five widebody aircraft. Since the start of the pandemic, SpiceJet has aided in the transportation of critical goods and medical supplies internationally. SpiceXpress has emerged as India’s largest air cargo operator by fleet and cargo carriage.

Between April and December 2020, SpiceXpress operated over 230 chartered cargo flights, comprising freighter and cargo-only B737 flights between India and Singapore. The air cargo capacity injected by SpiceXpress has helped support air trade and the conveyance of humanitarian goods, including medical supplies and perishables, between the two countries.

Mr Sanjiv Gupta, SpiceXpress’s CEO said, “We are much delighted to commence our scheduled freighter operations to Singapore. This development would strengthen air trades between the two countries by providing faster and seamless logistics solutions. In addition, this strategic move would help SpiceXpress build its network in South East Asia. Singapore is also well-positioned as a springboard for SpiceXpress into other markets such as Europe and Australia.”

In addition to SpiceXpress,  airlines such as Emirates, IndiGo, Singapore Airlines and SriLankan Airlines have also operated cargo-only passenger aircraft flights between India and Singapore in 2020.

In January 2021, Changi Airport handled 146,000 million tonnes of airfreight throughput in total. The number of weekly cargo flights at Changi Airport has tripled to more than 950 compared to 2019, and the airport is now connected to about 70 cities by weekly cargo flights.

Mr Lim Ching Kiat, Changi Airport Group (CAG)’s Managing Director of Air Hub Development said, “CAG has been engaging SpiceJet for several years to mount scheduled services to Singapore, hence we are pleased to welcome SpiceJet to Changi’s family of airlines. In these challenging times when air cargo capacity is constrained, the introduction of SpiceJet’s freighter service (SpiceXpress) is much welcomed. The additional capacity helps support the transportation of essential goods such as medical and food supplies between the two countries.”