India’s SpiceJet to pursue separate AOC for cargo unit

India’s Minister of Civil Aviation VK Singh has said that SpiceXpress & Logistics, the cargo division of SpiceJet (SG, Delhi Int’l), is among four companies that have applied for no-objection certificates to launch scheduled air operations.

Singh underlined during a hearing in the Lok Sabha, the Indian parliament, that the application was necessary to proceed with the launch of a scheduled airline. However, non-scheduled operations can be permitted without such a document.

While he did not go into any further details, the application indicates that SpiceJet’s cargo subsidiary, in addition to being a company separate to its mainline parent, will also have its own AOC. Currently, the LCC operates three B737-700(BDSF)s and two B737-800(BCF)s under its own AOC alongside its passenger aircraft, even though they are branded separately. SpiceJet did not respond to ch-aviation’s request for comment.

Singh also said that Jet Freight, a Mumbai-based freight forwarder, has also applied for a no-objection certificate. It too did not respond to ch-aviation’s query.

The other two companies in the process of obtaining their no-objection certificates are ultra-low-cost-carrier start-up Akasa Air, which plans to launch by the end of 2021, and TruJet, which is seeking to alter the terms of its certificate following the announcement of a multi-million investment deal with US-based fund Interups.