The Amsterdam-based ULD manager has secured a multi-year contract with low-cost carrier, IndiGo – India’s largest airline. The agreement comes amid IndiGo’s push to internationalize its reach, serving new destinations in Europe, Central Asia, and the Far East. It has also expanded the codeshare agreement with KLM, signed in 2022, giving travelers and cargo clients access to 30 destinations on IndiGo’s network across Europe and the UK.
The partnership with ACL Airshop provides IndiGo with comprehensive ULD management and logistics services for cargo and passenger operations. The agreement now signed also includes maintenance and repair services, access to the ACL Airshop network and short-term fleet, and the introduction of next-generation tracking technology for the IndiGo ULD fleet, a press release reveals.
Crucial services
Particularly due to the internationalization of the route program, the reliable provision of containers and pallets as needed by a station is a prerequisite for the seamless transport of air cargo as booked, in addition to passenger baggage. These services are crucial to maintaining an airline’s reputation, as negative examples such as stranded or misplaced cargo shipments or claims from passengers in response to lost baggage, demonstrate.
“We are very pleased to announce this strategic partnership with one of the world’s fastest-growing airlines,” said Bernhard Kindelbacher, CEO of ACL Airshop, commenting on the IndiGo deal. “This collaboration not only reinforces our position as a global ULD management services leader but also allows us to support IndiGo wherever their growth journey takes them.” Mark Sutch, Chief Commercial Officer at IndiGo, similarly stated: “As our requirement for ULDs grows, we are delighted to be partnering with ACL Airshop and appreciate that they could quickly and efficiently respond to IndiGo’s requirements and were fully operational in a short span of just two months.”
Increasing the reliability score
A coordinated, one-stop ULD management service package, as now agreed between ACL and IndiGo, will certainly play a decisive role in achieving high reliability rates for air freight shipments and passenger baggage, thus avoiding errors, claims and additional costs.
The IndiGo deal opens up the Indian transport market for ACL, as the budget carrier currently serves 90 domestic destinations, accounting for 60% of domestic air traffic market. At the same time, the ULD manager is closing the gap on its competitors and industry leaders, Unilode and Jettainer.
Currently, the Indian airline serves 40 international destinations. Among them: Singapore, Istanbul, Dubai, and other cities in the Gulf region, as well as – since this year – Amsterdam and Manchester. Encouraged by the outstanding response to its long-haul flights, IndiGo will fly six times a week between Mumbai and Amsterdam, starting 20SEP25, and further increase this to a daily service from 13OCT25. Additionally, the connectivity between Mumbai and Manchester will be enhanced to four flights weekly, effective 22SEP25. IndiGo will also launch daily flights to London Heathrow – its third European point – commencing on 26OCT25. According to airline chief, Pieter Elbers, flights to Copenhagen and Athens are also on the agenda, although the manager did not specify a launch date.
Norse provides the aircraft
“At IndiGo, we are committed to offering seamless global connectivity to our customers as part of our ambitious internationalization strategy. We are delighted to deepen our partnership with KLM, providing our customers with greater convenience when traveling across Europe and the UK through Schiphol Airport, one of the biggest European hubs. We are confident that our customers will value and benefit from the seamless connectivity offered through the vast combined networks of IndiGo and KLM. This collaboration aligns with our vision of giving wings to the [Indian] nation and fostering more opportunities for boosting trade and tourism between India, Europe and rest of the world,” the former KLM boss stated.
The carrier’s route expansion is enabled by a damp-lease agreement with Norwegian carrier, Norse Atlantic, securing the provision of B787-9 jetliners. Following the operation of one unit on the Amsterdam and Manchester routes, IndiGo will lease five additional Dreamliners from Norse. While passengers will be served by IndiGo cabin crew, Norse will supply the aircraft including the pilots and will provide maintenance services.
