In an effort to help shrimp farmers, SpiceJet launched freighter services from Chennai and Vishakhapatnam to Surat and Kolkata.
The first flight took off from Chennai international airport carrying a consignment of produce to Vishakhapatnam and Surat. SpiceXpress, the air cargo arm of SpiceJet, will deploy its Boeing 737 freighter on these routes with an approximate carrying capacity of 21 tonnes. SpiceXpress will be the first to connect the aforesaid cities through a freighter route.
“Shrimp hatcheries face a lot of problems in transporting seeds in the absence of dedicated flights leading to a high mortality rate of shrimp seeds which in turn leads to heavy losses,” Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet, said. He added, “Our freighter flights will provide the much-needed boost for shrimp farmers and go a long way in contributing to the government’s Krishi Udaan scheme.”
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In India, the shrimp season starts mid-February and continues until mid-June. During this period, shrimp seeds are sent from major production centers such as Chennai, Pondicherry and Vishakhapatnam to West Bengal and Gujarat for further farming and breeding. The service will enhance logistics and connectivity of the shrimp farming industry.