Deccan 360

About nine months after launch, Deccan 360 can be credited to have become the first Indian logistics company to launch operations with international freighter services as well as be the first air cargo carrier to operate on the hub-and-spoke model in India

Bangalore based Deccan 360, also known as Deccan Cargo & Express Logistics, is a cargo airline that commenced its commercial international operations in May 2009 and domestic operations five months later. It was the brainchild of the founder of Deccan Aviation, Captain G.R. Gopinath—the pioneer in the concept of low-cost airlines in India. Deccan 360 is an express transportation and logistics company with an operational network that supports an extensive service portfolio catering to urgent transportation needs of different segments of the industry and largely in the domestic market. The list of clients includes companies dealing with pharmaceuticals, machinery, manufacturing, retail, electronics, textiles and banking.

Deccan 360 owns eight aircraft, a mix of 37 tonnes capacity Airbus A310-324(F) and ATR72-202(F), to transport express and normal cargo to 11 cities in India which includes Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kochi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Nagpur, Coimbatore, Guwahati and Imphal. It also serves three international destinations—Hong Kong in East Asia, Dubai in the Middle East and Kabul. It also has a fleet of 1,000 branded vehicles for its economy cargo sector where bulk cargo is transported by road.

Captain Gopinath perceives great opportunity in the air cargo business both in the internal and external markets. According to him, while the United States had over 200 freighter aircraft, India, a country with a population four times the size of the US, had only six freighter aircraft operating before the launch of Deccan 360. There are hardly any domestic players in this arena and the Rs. 3,000 crore air cargo market is dominated by foreign players.

Nine months after launch, Deccan 360 can be credited to have become the first Indian logistics company to launch operations with international freighter services as well as the first air cargo carrier to operate on the hub-and-spoke model in India. Apart from having the distinction of being the first ever multi-modal transport service provider in India, it is the largest freighter fleet comprising eight aircraft, connecting 10 major airports across India. Deccan 360 is the largest freight charter operator in India.

Distribution Model

Deccan 360 is the first cargo airline in India to create the hub-andspoke distribution model in an industry that is still in the nascent stages of development. Deccan Express Logistics has entered into an agreement with infrastructure development firm GMR Group for setting up express cargo operating facilities at Delhi and Hyderabad airports. These two, along with the new multi-modal international cargo and passenger strategically located hub at Nagpur would form an extensive multi-modal storage, transportation and delivery network to bring connectivity to every corner of the country to locations such as Faridabad, Ankaleshwar and Mohali, to name a few. Deccan 360’s extensive reach and convenient scheduling has facilitated the transportation of everything from fresh flowers to livestock.