As part of this partnership, Ekart will provide first-mile pickup of cargo shipments and will also help deliver them through last-mile connectivity across all serviceable pin codes in the country, SpiceXpress said in a statement.
SpiceJet, which is facing financial headwinds and an insolvency plea by an aircraft lessor, had recently hived off SpiceXpress.
The hive-off of SpiceXpress, the logistics arm of SpiceJet, is being seen as a move in the right direction. A JV or FDI in the cargo biz could turn out to be the game-changer for the much-battered airline.
As it faces multiple headwinds, the no-frills carrier will also tap the Qualified Institutional Buyer (QIB) route to raise up to Rs 2,500 crore.
SpiceJet is the largest cargo airline in the country. It is the profitability of the division that the company management wants to capitalise on
SpiceJet had on August 17 last year announced it was transferring its cargo and logistics services on a slump sale basis to its subsidiary SpiceXpress as it will allow the company to raise funds independent of the budget carrier and rapidly grow.
The airline has delayed Q4FY22 and full-year FY22 results citing a ransomware attack so the latest financials are not known. But in the third quarter—the best post-COVID lockdown—the airline clocked a revenue of Rs 2,259 crore.
Spicejet’s decision to spin off the cargo business helps it raise capital during a difficult period for the passenger business
For SpiceXpress, this could mean the possibility of partnerships with global players in a market that is growing by leaps and bounds, thanks primarily to e-commerce. SpiceXpress will operate as a separate entity, but SpiceJet will continue to provide certain transportation services, ground and logistics support, management services, etc, assuring the latter of some steady business
SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh has said the company was “making efforts” to further strengthen the logistics business.
The service will be available to both door-to-door domestic cargo as well as airport-to-airport domestic services, SpiceJet said in a release.
Avani, daughter of SpiceJet Chairman & MD Ajay Singh, is the CEO of SpiceHealth
The Delhi-based training academy stated in the release that it is providing online training "over 2 days, 4 hours daily per batch of about 25 participants".
Post trials and approvals, the airline plans to use drones in delivery of essential supplies to remote areas, the company said in a release.
SpiceJet will be setting up a warehousing, distribution and trading facility in the airport operator's aerospace and industrial park