The Hindu Business Line : Blue Dart plans Rs 25-cr expansion

Blue Dart Express Ltd plans to invest Rs 25 crore in expansion this year. The company will add 45 new facilities to its existing 217 located across the country, with 14 of them being in the South, according to Mr Malcolm Monteiro, Managing Director, Blue Dart Express Ltd.

Blue Dart will also add two more Boeing 757 aircraft to its fleet of five Boeing 737 freighter operating across 39 route networks each night.

The two new aircraft will join the fleet by June, Mr Monteiro said. The induction will help the company handle 250 tonnes each night compared to 166 tonnes now. Ahmedabad will become the company's seventh domestic hub, he said.

Integrated hub

Blue Dart has invested Rs 1 crore in its new integrated hub in Chennai. The first of six planned for this city. This hub is located at the Old International Terminal and has both airside and city side access.

Mr Monteiro said that Chennai has emerged as the preferred destination for IT and backend operation of banks and other multinationals. The past decade has witnessed manufacturing start-ups located here in a big way. This has paved the way for growth in package volumes, he said.

Chennai Port has also seen some of the country's largest hardware imports from South-East Asia for domestic distribution. Mr Monteiro said the South is a critical region for Blue Dart as it accounts for 35 per cent of overall revenue.

He said that in 2005, Blue Dart handled over 2.8 million shipments in Chennai, servicing the information technology, auto, textile, telecom and finance industries from this region.

More Stories on : Supply Chain Management | New Projects | Airlines

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Paramount Airways to set up hangar in Chennai

SCI to resume US East Coast services

Deloitte biz plan likely for Chennai port

Blue Dart plans Rs 25-cr expansion

SCR to take up work on two new lines soon