Deccan 360 eyes major share on India-Dubai trade route
14 Jul 2009
Mumbai: Pioneering aviation figure, Capt GR Gopinath, who has added to his credentials with the launch of Deccan 360, India's first cargo airline, has emphasised the criticality of the India-Dubai trade route to his business strategy.
Speaking to media Capt Gopinath pointed out that the recent launch of Deccan 360s flights, connecting Delhi and Chennai to Dubai, with the Asian business hubs such as Dubai. He claimed that Deccan 360 was ''geared up to corner a sizeable share of freight movement on this route.''
Capt Gopinath established Air Deccan in 2003, a pioneering low cost carrier that was primarily responsible for ushering in a revolution in air travel in India. The airline was subsequently acquired by Kingfisher Airlines.
According to Capt Gopinath, the India-Dubai trade route is one of the busiest in the world with a constant flow of goods and precious commodities between the two regions.
''We have deployed an Airbus A310 freighter aircraft to serve these routes,'' he said. He pointed out that Deccan 360 is the only Indian cargo airliner to deploy a wide-body freighter aircraft.
The cargo carrier has built the required competencies for handling and delivering large, perishable and high-value commodities overnight at highly competitive costs, he points out. ''Our wide-bodied aircraft has been customised for the company and has the capacity to carry 35 tonnes of cargo,'' says Gopinath. ''The aircraft has been split into four bays with different temperatures to handle sensitive cargo such as vaccines.''
