After already partnering on the passenger side, Mumbai based Jet Airways and Abu-Dhabi based Etihad Airways will partner on the cargo side.
Jet Airways will ACMI lease one A330-200F from Etihad to begin with, gradually increasing to three. This is Jet’s first move into the freighter business, but the carrier is encouraged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” campaign. “Make in India,” set into motion last September, is designed to encourage manufacturing and economic growth in India.
There are no other major domestic carriers in India that have their own dedicated, long-haul cargo fleet. The move will give Emirates, which carried the most freight in and out of India in 2013 and 2014, some competition.
Earlier this month Etihad launched passenger service between Abu Dhabi and Kolkata (Calcutta).