Unable to fill planes with passengers as the coronavirus-induced lockdown destroyed travel demand, SpiceJet turned its entire attention to cargo to cover at least part of its fixed costs. The logic was simple: If nothing else, there would be an opportunity to ship medicine and medical gear and even fruits and vegetables at a time when just about every cargo freighter that could fly was already maxed out.
The result: Between March 25 and June 12, the airline operated close to 2,360 cargo flights and transported over 16,700 tonnes. With demand picking up, it recently converted three of its Bombardier