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Air India Cargo

Air India Cargo is the freight and air cargo division of Air India, the flag carrier airline of India. It handles the carriage of goods, mail, perishables, valuables and other consignments using the belly-hold capacity of Air India's passenger fleet, and historically also operated dedicated freighter aircraft. The division has played a notable role in the development of organised air freight services in India, including links between Indian metropolitan cities and major destinations in the Gulf, Europe, North America and East Asia.

Key facts

Type Cargo division of an airline
Parent Air India
Industry Air freight, logistics
Service area Domestic India and international
Country India

Overview

Air India Cargo offers scheduled freight services on the route network of its parent airline. Cargo is carried in the lower-deck holds of wide-body and narrow-body passenger aircraft operated by Air India and its subsidiaries. The division provides handling for general cargo, express shipments, temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, perishables, live animals, human remains, dangerous goods (within regulatory limits), valuables and mail.

Operations are integrated with Air India's commercial and ground-handling network, with major hubs at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, alongside other Indian gateways such as Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad.

Background

Air freight services in India trace their origin to the early decades of commercial aviation in the country. After the nationalisation of Indian airlines in 1953 under the Air Corporations Act, scheduled cargo carriage on international routes became a function of Air India, while domestic freight was handled largely by Indian Airlines. The cargo activity of Air India developed alongside its passenger operations as the airline expanded into Europe, North America, the Gulf and East Asia.

For a period, Air India operated dedicated freighter aircraft to supplement belly-hold capacity, particularly on routes with high outbound demand for Indian exports such as garments, engineering goods, gems and jewellery, and pharmaceuticals, and inbound demand for high-value imports.

Services

  • General cargo – palletised and containerised freight on scheduled passenger services.
  • Express and courier – priority shipments handled under expedited timelines.
  • Pharmaceuticals and perishables – temperature-controlled handling for medical and food consignments.
  • Mail – carriage of postal articles in coordination with India Post and foreign postal administrations.
  • Valuables and vulnerables – handling of high-value cargo such as bullion, currency and precious stones.
  • Live animals and human remains – specialised handling under IATA live animals and other applicable regulations.

Privatisation and ownership change

Air India and its subsidiaries were owned by the Government of India for several decades. In 2022, ownership of the Air India group was transferred to the Tata Group following a strategic disinvestment process. As part of this transition, the cargo activity of Air India came under Tata Group ownership along with the rest of the airline. Subsequent restructuring within the Tata aviation portfolio, including the merger of Tata-owned carriers, has affected the organisational positioning of the cargo division.

Significance

As the cargo arm of India's flag carrier, Air India Cargo has historically been one of the principal Indian operators in international air freight. It contributed to the export of Indian manufactured goods and perishables, supported diaspora-linked traffic to the Gulf, the United Kingdom and North America, and provided capacity for the carriage of mail and government consignments. The division's network and infrastructure also play a role in India's overall air cargo ecosystem alongside private freighter operators and foreign carriers.

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