In a first in India, Amazon launches cargo service in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: E-commerce behemoth Amazon India on Monday launched its dedicated air cargo fleet, Amazon Air, in the city, a first for India with the goal of enhancing its transportation network and enabling speedier delivery.  Amazon has a similar service only in the US and European markets.

Industries minister K.T. Rama Rao unveiled the service at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Shamshabad in the presence of Amazon officials. Amazon India and Quickjet Cargo Airline Private Ltd., based in Bengaluru, have teamed up to offer the nation's first air freight service, making Amazon the first e-commerce company in India to partner with a third-party carrier to provide a dedicated air network for deliveries.

The company would use a Boeing 737-800 to transport shipments to Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai.

“Amazon’s love story with Hyderabad has grown strength-to-strength. Today, Hyderabad holds Amazon’s largest campus in the world, which is a great matter of pride for us. Telangana has been working towards strengthening air cargo infrastructure and Amazon’s arrival will further assist in making Hyderabad an air cargo hub in the country,” Rama Rao stated after launching the services.

In 2016, Amazon Air made its US debut; as of now, it operates over 110 aircraft to provide service to 70 cities worldwide. Each Boeing 737-800 aircraft can carry about 20,000 shipments, which will significantly reduce the delivery time, said Akhil Saxena, vice-president of Customer Fulfillment at Amazon.

“With the help of our new air cargo service, a customer placing an order in the evening from Delhi will now get the product the next morning even if the seller fulfilling the order is located in Mumbai. Having a dedicated fleet of air cargo will enable us to fulfil orders much faster as we will not be depending on other private airlines and their timings for the transportation of goods,” he said.