CHENNAI: In a major boost for shrimp farmers, SpiceJet on Tuesday launched dedicated freighter services from Chennai and Vishakhapatnam to Surat and Kolkata. The first flight took off from Chennai carrying a consignment to Vishakhapatnam and Surat. SpiceXpress, the dedicated air cargo arm of SpiceJet, will deploy its Boeing 737 freighter on these routes with an approximate carrying capacity of 21 tonnes. With the launch of the new services, SpiceXpress will be the first to connect the aforesaid cities through a freighter route.
Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet, said in a release,”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. Our dedicated freighter flights will provide the much-needed boost for shrimp farmers and go a long way in contributing to government’s commendable Krishi Udaan scheme.” In India, the shrimp season starts mid-February and continues until mid-June. During this period, shrimp seeds are sent from major production centres such as Chennai, Puducherry and Vishakhapatnam, to West Bengal and Gujarat for further farming and breeding.