Hinduja Cargo Services
Hinduja Cargo Services was a cargo airline based in New Delhi, India.[1] It was a joint venture between the Hinduja Group and German airline Lufthansa Cargo. The company operated a fleet of Boeing 727 freighters, flying from airports in the Indian subcontinent to feed Lufthansa Cargo's hub in the Middle East.
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Founded | 1996 | ||||||
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Commenced operations | 1996 | ||||||
Ceased operations | 2001 | ||||||
Fleet size | 3 | ||||||
Parent company | Lufthansa Cargo | ||||||
Headquarters | New Delhi, India |
History
Before 1996, Lufthansa Cargo was operating Douglas DC-8 aircraft between Germany and several Indian cities, including Delhi and Mumbai, as well as a cargo hub at Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. To increase capacity, Hinduja Cargo Services was formed in April 1996 through a partnership with the Hinduja Group; Hinduja owned a 60% share, with Lufthansa taking the remaining 40%. Two Boeing 727-200F freighters were acquired to replace the DC-8 routes, rising to five aircraft in October 1996.
In July 1999, a company 727-243F operating Lufthansa Cargo Flight 8533 crashed into a hill after takeoff from Kathmandu, Nepal. All five crew died in the crash.[2][3]
Lufthansa Cargo suspended its agreement with the Hinduja Group in April 2000, citing higher-than-expected demand which could be better met with direct flights from Frankfurt.[4] The airline was consequently closed by Hinduja in 2001.[5]
References
- "Hinduja Cargo Services". ch-aviation. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- "ASN Aircraft incident Boeing 727-243F VT-LCI Kathmandu". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- "No survivors in Nepal plane crash". BBC News. 8 July 1999. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- "Lufthansa Cargo drops Hinduja link". FlightGlobal. 4 April 2000. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- "Hindujas revive interest in aviation business". The Times of India. 15 August 2005. Retrieved 19 July 2020.