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The_Goat

Heard this on the grapevine. Anyone in the know? It is supposedly being started by a Kenya-based NRI . They also have an ex-IndiGo A320PF painted in their colours.

I hope they last. The fuselage looks dirty already.[/img]
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747-237 · Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2022 5:47 am Post subject:

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/117316-kenyas-astral-leases-first-a320-p2f-to-indian-startup

Kenya's Astral leases first A320 P2F to Indian startup

08.07.2022

Kenyan cargo specialist Astral Aviation (8V, Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta) in conjunction with UAE-based lessor Vaayu Group is supporting the establishment of India's Pradhaan Air Express (Delhi Int'l), by leasing the world’s first A320-200(P2F) converted freighter to the all-cargo Delhi startup.

Pradhaan Air Express will begin operations later this year, making it the global launch customer of the A320-200(P2F) and the first Indian operator of an Airbus narrowbody freighter, according to a statement by the company’s founder and chief executive, Nipun Anand.

He confirmed that the startup had been granted a "no objection certificate" from India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation to offer cargo charters on domestic and international routes.

The 16-year-old A320, D-AAES (msn 2737), which offers a payload of 21 tons with a fully-palletised main deck, is stationed at Singapore Seletar where it has been painted in the Pradhaan Air Express livery. It is expected to arrive in Delhi Int'l later this month. The conversion was done by Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW), a joint venture of ST Engineering and Airbus, at its facility in Singapore. The aircraft has been dry-leased through Astral Aviation and the Vaayu Group on a six-month contract.

A second aircraft will be inducted by the end of 2022 with plans for further fleet expansion, Anand said.

“The air cargo market in India has untapped domestic and international potential fuelled by various initiatives to become a global hub for cargo services. We aim to make our small contribution to the big dreams of the Indian cargo industry by offering tailor-made solutions with on-demand charters,” added Vipul Bhalla, chief business officer.
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747-237 · Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2022 7:19 am Post subject:

The world's first A320 Freighter is to be registered VT-PNS.
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747-237 · Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2022 5:41 pm Post subject:

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/120185-indias-pradhaan-air-express-begins-a320p2f-flight-ops

Pradhaan Air Express begins A320P2F flight ops

10.10.2022

Pradhaan Air Express (6P, Delhi Int'l) has operated its first commercial cargo flight using its own aircraft - which also happens to be the world's first A320 cargo conversion. The A320-200(P2F) completed its first service for carrier on October 1, 2022, flying Delhi Int'l - Mumbai Int'l - Delhi. Flights from Delhi to Hanoi, Viet Nam began on October 9.

The startup operation only received VT-PNS (msn 02737) in July after it was ferried from the Elbe Flugzeugwerke conversion facility at Singapore Seletar. According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, the aircraft went to Pradhaan on an operating lease from ST Engineering.

"It was a significant milestone in the journey of the youngest cargo airline in India as well as for the world's first A320-P2F," says the cargo carrier's social media accounts. The 16.56-year-old jet first flew for LATAM Airlines Brasil (JJ, Sao Paulo Congonhas) and more recently for IndiGo Airlines, ending service there in February 2021.

A joint venture with Kenya's Astral Aviation (8V, Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta), Pradhaan Air Express is among a spate of India-based cargo startups getting off the ground recently. Afcom (Chennai) received its first aircraft in September, a B737-800(BCF) while IndiGo Airlines cargo subsidiary IndiGo CarGo took its first A321-200(P2F) earlier this month. Aside from these two carriers as well as SpiceJet (SG, Delhi Int'l) and Pradhaan, the only dedicated cargo airline in India is Chennai-based Blue Dart Aviation.

Speaking after receiving the airline's No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from India's Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) in July, Pradhaan Air Express founder Nipun Anand told local media that the carrier would offer charter facilities to Indian shippers and freight forwarders on domestic and international routes.

"We aim to make our small contribution to the big dreams of the Indian cargo industry," he said. Anand is also the founder of the airline general sales agency Zeal Global Corporation.
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