Air India is foraying into freighter operations in big way. The airline is set to launch its first freighter service with the two A310 aircraft in June-July this year. This freighter service will have Bangalore on its radar along with Mumbai and Chennai.

Air India is also looking at converting its eight A310 aircraft and five Boeing 737-200 into freighter aircraft in the near future. The airline is planning to lease one or two Boeing 747-400 aircraft for cargo operations as well.

"This is the first step towards becoming a serious cargo player in India. As we induct new passenger aircraft into our fleet we plan to convert older aircraft for freighter services," said V Thulasidas, CMD, Air India. With this cargo operation Air India will become the first carrier in India to have its own dedicated freighter service.

Mr Thulasidas was in Bangalore on Friday to lay the foundation stone for cargo handling facility, which is being developed jointly by Air India and Singapore Airport Terminal Services Ltd (SATS) at the new Bangalore International Airport (BIAL).

With the two Airbus A310 aircraft Air India will launch freighter services to Frankfurt, Paris and Shanghai in June-July this year. The airline will send the two old passenger A310 aircraft to Germany for conversions.

"With the Air India-Indian merger, which is likely to materialise in the beginning of next financial year, we could have an integrated cargo operations covering domestic and international sector," said Mr Thulasidas. Indian is also looking at launching its own freighter service this year. It could look at converting its Boeing 737-200 aircraft.

Air India has also constituted a group to study the financial viability and the timeframe for conversion of wide bodied aircraft like Boeing 737-300 into freighter aircraft. Meanwhile the carrier will induct one Boeing aircraft every month over four years from February onwards out of 68 aircraft ordered in December 2005.

The first aircraft arrived in the first week of December last year and three more will be inducted this month. This 68 aircraft ordered includes the 50 wide bodied Boeing aircraft.