
New Delhi, March 13 In a move to strengthen its services in the Northeast, Amazon India has added a new route connecting Guwahati and Kolkata to its dedicated air cargo service, Amazon Air.
Launched in 2023, the freighter service initially served Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.
The expansion, expected to speed up shipments by 5x, will support deliveries across all seven sister states – Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura – the company said in a statement.
The inaugural Amazon Air flight to Guwahati was flagged off from the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, by Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Friday.
"For sellers in the region, the introduction of Amazon Air services to Guwahati will enable businesses to connect with customers nationwide. Improved fulfilment speeds will allow businesses to reach a wider customer base and participate more meaningfully in India's rapidly growing digital economy, while also bringing the benefits of faster and more reliable deliveries to customers and communities across Assam and the wider Northeast region.
"Such advancements in logistics infrastructure are also expected to generate substantial employment opportunities for local youth. It is hoped that the operationalisation of Amazon Air services will further contribute to job creation and support the overall economic growth of the region," Ravi Kota, IAS, Chief Secretary, Assam, said.
Amazon Air operates two narrow-body freighters three days a week, with plans to expand to a 6-7 day schedule, according to Abhinav Singh, Vice President, Operations, India and Australia.
"...customers across the Northeast will receive their packages up to five times faster than they do today. But this expansion in speed is not just for customers. Sellers across Northeast India will now be able to reach customers across every single postcode in India much faster than they could earlier," Singh said.
Apart from its own cargo fleet, Amazon India also uses cargo capacity from other Indian airlines.