Air France-KLM increases cargo flights to Chennai, Mumbai

Air France-KLM-Martinair Cargo, the air cargo business of Air France-KLM Group, has added one more weekly cargo flight from Chennai to Amsterdam and two more weekly cargo flights from Mumbai to Amsterdam, said Christophe Albert Boucher, Vice-President, Asia and Middle East. Earlier, there were 3 cargo flights a week from Chennai and Mumbai had two flights. “We have decided to not only maintain but reinforce the presence of full freighters in India. The first few flights have been full,” Boucher said in a press conference. He pointed out that the increase in fights would see 40 tonnes a week being added in Mumbai, while the cargo capacity from Chennai is likely to increase by 20 tonnes.

“The idea is not to increase capacity tremendously but get a set up where we can better optimise our presence. The idea is to maximise the profitability of the flight,” Boucher said. While pharmaceutical products remain important, Air France-KLM-Martinair Cargo is also trying to see that it gets mail and couriers on board. “As an industry, the issue is not only to get the freighter full but also to get the right cargo at the right rates,” he added. Apart from operating full freighter aircraft, the Group also uses the space available on regular commercial flights that it operates to various Indian cities.

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