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New Delhi: Leading logistics company Blue Dart has increased its aircraft fleet in India from six to eight by adding two Boeing 737 freighters. It is adding Guwahati to its air map, taking the number of cities to eight, given the significant increase in shipments from the Northeast. The company is also working on a plan to deliver over 300-kg shipments using drones. Blue Dart’s chief commercial officer Ketan Kulkarni spoke to TOI about his plans for India as the country is seeing a massive boost in economic activity. Excerpts:
Q. You have recently added two aircraft to the Blue Dart fleet in India. What was the trigger for that?
A. India is at an inflection point of growth. Post Covid logistics business is headed to a new stratosphere thanks to PM Modi’s Gati Shakti programme where infra is seeing massive investments. We are seeing a massive increase in demand from smaller cities now. We had six Boeing 757s that fly to seven cities here — Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Chennai. Now we have added two B737s and will start flying to Guwahati in the next two months. The demand from the Northeast is growing very rapidly.
Blue Dart Aviation’ six Boeing 757 aircraft provided a network payload of over 500 tonnes across 74 route connections each night. We have recently acquired two Boeing 737-800 aircraft and this will increase capacity to 650 tonnes per day shortly.
Thanks to the government’s national logistics policy, this business will touch $330 billion by 2025 from the current $280-300 billion. Almost two-thirds of freight transportation in logistics is by road. Carriage by air is 1% of the express logistics industry but this is going to grow massively in coming years.
Q. You did a pilot project of sending Covid vaccines by drones. What are the future plans for using this tech?
A. In 2021 we had done a pilot project with Telangana government, Niti Aayog and others to send half kg consignments by drone seven km away or beyond visual line of sight (sending a drone to a distance where the operator does not have it in his or her sight). This month we are working with a Pharma company to send deliveries in very difficult terrain areas of Himachal and Uttaranchal. DHL in Europe is working on sending shipments weighing over 350 kg by drones. We are looking at doing the same in India too. We plan heavy delivery drones in smaller cities or difficult terrain areas.
With our futuristic approach, the eventual plan is to use these drones to handle specialised temperature controlled shipments with a payload of up to 5 kg, facilitating distribution centre pickups and deliveries to remote areas with challenging terrain. Blue Dart Med-Express Consortium’s drone flights aim to enhance healthcare logistics in India, particularly in rural areas, by introducing an immersive delivery model.
We are currently piloting drone flights for moving shipments in Himachal Pradesh with a pharmaceutical company for 5-10 kg payload. We are also exploring possibilities in hilly geographies of Northeast and states like Maharashtra. DHL group companies have piloted UAV with flight range of 2,500 km with payload of 350 kg and as part of the DHL Group, we can have such trials in India also.
Q. How do you see the logistics business grow in India in coming years?
A. The logistics sector in India is thriving now due to technological advancements, government policies, and infrastructure investments. Digitalisation, affordable data, and smartphones are bridging the gap between urban India and Tier II/III cities, leading to widespread e-commerce growth. Initiatives like “Make in India” and “Vocal for Local” have driven logistics demand in smaller towns. This is adding to the demand for seamless logistics. Currently we do delivery of consignments to over 55,000 locations in India. We further extended its presence to 77 pin codes across the nation this Independence Day. The effort is towards boosting trade.
Part of DHL Group’s DHL eCommerce division, Blue Dart accesses the largest and most comprehensive express and logistics network worldwide, covering over 220 countries and territories, and offers an entire spectrum of distribution services, including air express, freight forwarding, supply chain solutions and customs clearance.
Q. What is the way forward for the industry?
A. Domestically, with the rise of e-commerce and changing consumer preferences, the demand for faster and more reliable deliveries is expected to continue driving the growth of domestic cargo shipments. For overseas cargo, the growth of international trade and India’s increasing participation in the global markets are expected to boost the demand for cross-border logistics services. As Indian businesses expand their footprint abroad, the need for efficient overseas cargo services is on the rise. We are well positioned to benefit from these growth opportunities.
Q. You have recently added two aircraft to the Blue Dart fleet in India. What was the trigger for that?
A. India is at an inflection point of growth. Post Covid logistics business is headed to a new stratosphere thanks to PM Modi’s Gati Shakti programme where infra is seeing massive investments. We are seeing a massive increase in demand from smaller cities now. We had six Boeing 757s that fly to seven cities here — Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Chennai. Now we have added two B737s and will start flying to Guwahati in the next two months. The demand from the Northeast is growing very rapidly.
Blue Dart Aviation’ six Boeing 757 aircraft provided a network payload of over 500 tonnes across 74 route connections each night. We have recently acquired two Boeing 737-800 aircraft and this will increase capacity to 650 tonnes per day shortly.
Thanks to the government’s national logistics policy, this business will touch $330 billion by 2025 from the current $280-300 billion. Almost two-thirds of freight transportation in logistics is by road. Carriage by air is 1% of the express logistics industry but this is going to grow massively in coming years.
Q. You did a pilot project of sending Covid vaccines by drones. What are the future plans for using this tech?
A. In 2021 we had done a pilot project with Telangana government, Niti Aayog and others to send half kg consignments by drone seven km away or beyond visual line of sight (sending a drone to a distance where the operator does not have it in his or her sight). This month we are working with a Pharma company to send deliveries in very difficult terrain areas of Himachal and Uttaranchal. DHL in Europe is working on sending shipments weighing over 350 kg by drones. We are looking at doing the same in India too. We plan heavy delivery drones in smaller cities or difficult terrain areas.
With our futuristic approach, the eventual plan is to use these drones to handle specialised temperature controlled shipments with a payload of up to 5 kg, facilitating distribution centre pickups and deliveries to remote areas with challenging terrain. Blue Dart Med-Express Consortium’s drone flights aim to enhance healthcare logistics in India, particularly in rural areas, by introducing an immersive delivery model.
We are currently piloting drone flights for moving shipments in Himachal Pradesh with a pharmaceutical company for 5-10 kg payload. We are also exploring possibilities in hilly geographies of Northeast and states like Maharashtra. DHL group companies have piloted UAV with flight range of 2,500 km with payload of 350 kg and as part of the DHL Group, we can have such trials in India also.
Q. How do you see the logistics business grow in India in coming years?
A. The logistics sector in India is thriving now due to technological advancements, government policies, and infrastructure investments. Digitalisation, affordable data, and smartphones are bridging the gap between urban India and Tier II/III cities, leading to widespread e-commerce growth. Initiatives like “Make in India” and “Vocal for Local” have driven logistics demand in smaller towns. This is adding to the demand for seamless logistics. Currently we do delivery of consignments to over 55,000 locations in India. We further extended its presence to 77 pin codes across the nation this Independence Day. The effort is towards boosting trade.
Part of DHL Group’s DHL eCommerce division, Blue Dart accesses the largest and most comprehensive express and logistics network worldwide, covering over 220 countries and territories, and offers an entire spectrum of distribution services, including air express, freight forwarding, supply chain solutions and customs clearance.
Q. What is the way forward for the industry?
A. Domestically, with the rise of e-commerce and changing consumer preferences, the demand for faster and more reliable deliveries is expected to continue driving the growth of domestic cargo shipments. For overseas cargo, the growth of international trade and India’s increasing participation in the global markets are expected to boost the demand for cross-border logistics services. As Indian businesses expand their footprint abroad, the need for efficient overseas cargo services is on the rise. We are well positioned to benefit from these growth opportunities.
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