Freighter operators bet on Indian export network

FedEx, Emirates and Silk Way West Airlines all expanded their Indian freighter operations through the end of summer with route launches and a multimillion-dollar cargo facility investment. The developments demonstrate India’s growing significance as a global export hub for airfreight. [caption id="attachment_56865378" align="alignnone" width="901"] A Silk Way West 777F. (Courtesy/ Silk Way West)[/caption] FedEx on Aug. 25 announced plans to develop a 230,000-square-foot air cargo hub at Delhi Airport (DEL). Delhi’s location in northern India is strategic, given the role the region plays in the country’s growing trade and economic activity, Suvendu Choudhury, vice president of operations, planning and engineering at FedEx India, told Cargo Facts . The fully automated facility, which will combine international gateway, pickup and delivery operations, represents a long-term investment of approximately $150 million by FedEx, according to an Aug. 26 release. “We expect India’s cargo mix to become more diverse as manufacturing scales up, exports broaden and Indian business becomes more deeply integrated into global supply chains,” Choudhury said. FedEx India’s focus is on building the capacity and flexibility to respond as trade flows evolve, rather than focusing on a single corridor, he added. “We are already seeing growing demand across such areas as electronics, engineering goods, pharmaceuticals and other high-value, time-sensitive shipments, alongside e-commerce, general cargo and shipments from [emerging exporters],” Choudhury said. The announcement of the DEL facility follows FedEx’s February groundbreaking of an automated air cargo hub at Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI). The 300,0000-square-foot facility is being developed with NMI operator Adani Group and represents about a $264 million investment from FedEx. Rerouting Meanwhile, two other carriers in September announced expansions of their Boeing 777 freighter networks to India. Emirates launched direct routes connecting Dubai (DWC) with Bengaluru (BLR) and Chennai (MAA), in addition to a route connecting DWC with Hyderabad (HYD) and Taipei (TPE), an Emirates spokesperson told Cargo Facts last month. The weekly DWC-MAA flight began on Aug. 24 with the 2026-vintage unit 70620, and the twice-weekly DWC-BLR route was first flown Aug. 30 by the 2025-vintage unit 68619, according to flight-tracking data. Meanwhile, the twice-weekly DWC-HYD-TPE route launched Aug. 29 with the 2022-vintage 67463, flight-tracking data showed. Emirates moves almost 3,000 tonnes of exports out of India each week, with the carrier seeing electronics, aerospace parts, pharma and perishables moving out of BLR, and automotive components, engineering goods, perishables and garments moving out of MAA, the spokesperson said. The HYD route carries high-tech cargo, thanks to its connection with tech hub TPE, in addition to shipments of pharmaceuticals and life sciences products, the spokesperson added. Emirates’ fleet includes fifteen 777Fs and one 777-300ERSF , with up to nine more on order from IAI . It expects its 777F fleet to grow to twenty-one units by the end of the year as part of a 2024 order . Another carrier that started flying to NMI last month was Silk Way West Airlines, which launched a flight from its Baku (GYD), Azerbaijan, hub. The three-times-weekly route operates on 747-8F, 747-400F and 777F capacity based on demand, and replaces a previous BOM flight, a spokesperson for the carrier told Cargo Facts . The new route was first operated on Sept. 15 by a 2026-vintage 777F (67456). NMI, which has seen a number of new operators this year , has been a source of controversy since operator Adani Group began pushing to shift cargo carriers away from Mumbai (BOM) and toward NMI . Challenge Group suspended its operations to BOM this month following an Adani-mandated transition to NMI, according to an Oct. 1 LinkedIn post from the carrier. Challenge Group cited the operating conditions at NMI, which it described as inadequate to enable it to “deliver [its] cargo services with the level of reliability and certainty [it requires].” Challenge Group had begun flying its 777-300ERSFs to BOM in July . Neither NMI nor Challenge Group could be reached for comment by publication time. Cargo Facts Symposium 2026, the premier event for the freighter aircraft and air cargo industries, will take place in Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 21-23. Find out more and register here .

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