Air France KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP) has announced its second airline partnership in a month, this time teaming up with IndiGo Cargo to expand its network in India.
The Franco-Dutch carrier said a special prorate interline agreement with IndiGo was effective from July 16. This type of agreement sees airlines share revenues when a transport is booked that utilises various flights from carriers that are part of the agreement.
The tie-up will provide AFKLMP with greater access to the Indian market while IndiGo will gain access to the wider global network of the Paris-headquartered group.
The two parties said they also discussed steps to strengthen their collaboration and to explore ways in which they can extend their cooperation in the coming years.
IndiGo has a fleet of more than 350 aircraft and operates around 2,000 daily flights connecting 85 domestic destinations and 30 international destinations.
GertJan Roelands, senior vice president commercial, AFKLMP, said: “India is a strategic growth market for AFKLMP Cargo. Having a strong partner in India is a great building block in our network strategy.
"The cooperation between IndiGo CarGo and AFKLMP Cargo will give our customers even more choice and solutions.”
Mark Sutch, chief commercial officer, IndiGo CarGo, added: “The strategic focus on growing international presence is greatly complemented by our partnership with AFKLMP. This collaboration not only broadens our service offerings but also allows us to leverage their extensive global reach, thereby providing our customers with a wider array of options across diverse geographies.”
It is the second partnership announced by AFKLMP in recent weeks. In June, the cargo firm announced a partnership with China Cargo Airlines that sees the latter utilise Air France belly capacity for flights from Paris CDG to São Paulo Guarulhos Airport (GRU).
The two airlines have already had an interline agreement in place for a decade and also run a joint handling operation at Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG) where AFKLMP shipments are handled by China Cargo.
“This new step signifies a deeper partnership and highlights our shared commitment to enhancing our range of services,” said Adriaan de Heijer, executive vice president of AFKLMP.
