Indian to expand cargo operations

New Delhi, May 18 (UNI) Indian (Airlines) plans to convert five of its planes into freighter aircraft, minister for civil aviation Praful Patel said today.

The five B-737s are currently operated by Alliance Air, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Indian, he told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

Converting them into freighter aircraft will cost 1.5 million dollars a piece. Indian will operate these freighter services with Nagpur as a hub and Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai (via Bangalore and Hyderabad) as originating stations.

With the operation of freighters, Indian will be able to expand its cargo business and also offer dedicated cargo service during night time.

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