Indian courier AFL wants to take to the skies
Indian air express operator AFL plans to launch its own flights in the latest move by specialist companies to cash in on the booming Indian express market, according to reports from India. The express airline would compete with DHL-owned Blue Dart Express, First Flight Couriers and passenger airlines offering freight capacity on domestic routes.
Managing director Cyrus Guzder told online news site Mint that he planned to take a minority share in a new cargo airline that would operate with jet freighters. Capacity would be used by AFL but also rival operators.
“We have received in-principle approval from the government for the venture and will start with two narrow-bodied jets,” Guzder said. “We plan to operate a cargo service that would service the domestic market for time-sensitive cargo in India, doing a round robin of all the six major cities between 10.30pm and dawn, and then fly regional routes to the Gulf and South-East Asia during the day.”
AFL, owned by the Guzder family, had revenues of some eight billion rupees (EUR 145 million) in 2006/07. The company, founded in 1945 and now with some 1,800 employees, is active in air express under the AFL WIZ Express brand and has a freight logistics joint venture with Germany’s Dachser.
In July 2007, AFL sold a 26 pct stake in joint venture CWT India to its partner, Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT), the worldwide business travel management company, for an undisclosed sum but retained a 24 pct minority stake.
