Blue Dart opens Outbound Gateway in Hyderabad
- Facilitates connectivity with 7 metros for trade
- To add 14 more facilities in the South

Hyderabad : June 08, 2006

Blue Dart, South Asia's largest air express, courier and package distribution company, today opened its outbound gateway at Hyderabad with flights connecting the city to the rest of the country. This will complement the inbound gateway opened 1ﾽ years ago, and enable the shipment of loads into and from Hyderabad and the rest of Andhra Pradesh. The central 8,000 sq. ft hub facility is strategically located at the rear side of the airport away from the passenger terminal and commercial bays, providing the convenience of handling loads swiftly with easy reach and access.

Blue Dart, with a 39% market share, is the country's only express company with an integrated air-surface infrastructure and dedicated air express services through Blue Dart Aviation, which launched flight operations in 1996. Blue Dart Aviation is contracted to provide dedicated air services to Blue Dart Express. In keeping with plans for expansion, Blue Dart Aviation has recently inducted two Boeing 757s into its existing fleet of five Boeing 737 freighters and increased its route network each night to 60. Additionally, Blue Dart Express has earmarked Rs.25 crores for expansion this year and plans to add 45 facilities to its existing 217 facilities across the country.

"Hyderabad is a sought after destination by national and international business houses, and is home to growing industries like IT and Pharma. With increased air distribution requirements, our aircraft currently carrying only inbound loads are constrained. Opening of the outbound gateway will enable shipments of larger volumes to be distributed into and out of the State. The gateway will strengthen our distribution network, giving Blue Dart an edge in the express market for faster and seamless retrieval and dispatch of inbound and outbound loads. This will allow businesses to extend their production time and facilitate placing Hyderabad as a potential logistics hub for many industries in the country", said Malcolm Monteiro, Managing Director, Blue Dart Express Ltd., on the occasion.

"The South is one of our largest regions, and we are looking at healthy growths from this region. From January to December 2005 we have handled 42,000 tonnes from the South. We intend adding one more service centre at HI-Tech City in the near future, and 14 more facilities in the South", he added

Tulsi Mirchandaney - Senior V.P - Marketing and Projects, Blue Dart Express Ltd. said, "Blue Dart has always offered a premium and value added service to its customers. Ten years after the launch of India's first express airline, we are still the only express company in the country with dedicated flights, and have added another first in the Indian skies - India's first Boeing 757 freighters. Our unique air-surface infrastructure enables us to offer our customers a complete range of services from air express - both domestic and international to airfreight, ground and charters, to support all their critical distribution needs".

About Blue Dart:

Blue Dart, South Asia's premier courier and integrated air express package Distribution Company, offers secure and reliable delivery of consignments to over 14,000 locations in India and 220 countries worldwide. Blue Dart was selected a Business Super brand from over 1699 brands across 169 product categories and a Readers Digest Most Trusted Brand across 42 product categories in India. The Blue Dart team drives marketplace leadership through its motivated people force, dedicated air capacity, cutting-edge technology, innovation and value-added services, to deliver unmatched standards of service quality to its customers

For further information contact :

marketing@bluedart.com
Dated : June 08, 2006