STRENGTHENING DISTRIBUTION: Malcolm Monteiro, Managing Director, Blue Dart Express, addressing a press conference in Bangalore on Wednesday. — Photo: G. R. N. Somashekar

BANGALORE: Blue Dart, the market leader in the courier and integrated air express package distribution, which opened its ninth superhub in Bangalore on Wednesday has rolled out plans for the year, including opening of 45 new facilities (1.22 lakh sq. ft. of space) across the country and buying/leasing two Boeing 757 freighters.

Blue Dart Managing Director, Malcolm Monteiro, told presspersons here that an investment of Rs. 25 crore would be made on the new facilities. As for the two aircraft with a payload of about 30 tonnes each, the decision on buying or leasing them is yet to be taken by Blue Dart Aviation. The five aircraft have 89 per cent utilisation and have been doing about 166 tonnes daily.

Mr. Monteiro said the southern region accounted for 35 per cent (Bangalore accounts for about 12-14 per cent) of total revenues and that the market had been growing at a fast pace. The revenues for the nine-month period ended December 2005 were Rs. 420 crore and net profit Rs. 43.4 crore, a growth of 24 per cent and higher than the industry growth of about 20 per cent. The growth driver had been the manufacturing sector.

Blue Dart, he said, was the market leader with 39 per cent share, followed by First Flight 18 per cent; DTDC 10 per cent; Overnite Express nine per cent; and others 24 per cent.

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