- Amazon Air has introduced a Delhi–Kolkata–Guwahati cargo corridor, bringing the Northeast into its dedicated air logistics network and potentially reducing delivery timelines by up to five times.
- Growing e-commerce demand in the region, highlighted by Bain research showing households allocate about 9.3% of spending to online retail, is driving logistics expansion by companies, Amazon and Flipkart.
- Guwahati is emerging as the Northeast’s primary air cargo gateway, where freight volumes are rising, and dedicated capacity is currently limited to operators including Blue Dart, alongside passenger airline belly cargo.
Amazon has extended its dedicated air cargo network to Northeast India with the introduction of Amazon Air services connecting Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati.
The move integrates the region into the company’s overnight air logistics system and could reduce delivery timelines by up to five times, according to the company.
The service brings the seven Northeastern states — Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura — into Amazon’s air-led fulfilment chain.
Shipments arriving in Guwahati will move onward through the company’s surface transport network to reach cities and towns across the region. Amazon said the faster logistics corridor will give customers quicker access to products ranging from everyday essentials to smartphones, electronics, fashion and beauty items.
The inaugural flight was flagged off at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport by Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu. The minister said expanding air connectivity and logistics infrastructure in the Northeast has been a policy priority, adding that the number of operational airports in the region has increased from nine in 2014 to sixteen today. He added that improved cargo connectivity could support farmers, artisans and entrepreneurs in accessing larger domestic markets.
Amazon Air began operating in India in 2023 and remains the only e-commerce company in the country with a dedicated air cargo fleet. The network currently uses two narrow-body freighters linking major fulfilment centres through overnight rotations. Alongside its own aircraft, Amazon relies on belly cargo partnerships with passenger airlines and multimodal connections involving road and rail transport. With these connections, the company’s air network now supports more than 100 origin-destination pairs across India.
Demand building across the Northeast
The expansion reflects the steady rise of online retail demand in the region. A Bain & Company report on India’s online retail market shows that households in the Northeast allocate roughly 9.3% of their consumption spending to e-commerce, among the highest shares in the country. Despite accounting for a relatively small proportion of India’s urban households, the region has become a fast-growing market for digital commerce as smartphone use and internet connectivity expand.
For logistics operators, the challenge has been connecting that demand with dependable delivery networks.
Shipments from major metros have historically travelled long distances by road through eastern India before reaching the Northeast, often stretching delivery timelines.
Dedicated air capacity allows parcels to move overnight into Guwahati before continuing onward by surface transport.
Other e-commerce companies have also expanded logistics infrastructure in the region. Flipkart has reported 35–40% year-on-year growth in the Northeast and operates more than six lakh square feet of warehousing capacity in Guwahati, reflecting how distribution networks are scaling alongside consumer demand.
Guwahati emerging as the region’s cargo gateway
Guwahati’s Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport has increasingly taken on the role of the Northeast’s aviation cargo gateway. Freight volumes at the airport have risen in recent years as e-commerce shipments, courier cargo and high-value consumer goods move into the region from major Indian cities.
The airport handled nearly 33,000 tonnes of cargo in 2025, the highest annual throughput recorded at the facility so far. Most cargo moving through Guwahati remains inbound. Consumer products, electronics, pharmaceuticals and express parcels account for a large share of freight arriving from metropolitan centres. Outbound cargo volumes are smaller but could expand as logistics networks improve and producers in the region gain better access to national markets.
Dedicated freighter operations into the Northeast remain limited. Blue Dart Aviation operates Boeing 737-800 freighters with a payload capacity of around 21 tonnes, linking Guwahati with its national express network. Passenger airlines such as IndiGo and Air India also carry freight in the belly holds of aircraft operating routes between Guwahati and major metros.
Amazon’s entry therefore adds dedicated cargo capacity to a market that has relied heavily on passenger aircraft and surface transport.
Amazon’s decision to route the service through Kolkata reflects existing cargo flows across eastern India. Kolkata has long served as a consolidation point for freight bound for the Northeast, supported by strong air connectivity and road corridors through the Siliguri route linking the region with mainland India.
By linking Guwahati through Kolkata, Amazon can feed shipments from multiple fulfilment centres into a single overnight air corridor while maintaining onward distribution through its regional delivery network.
Policy support for cargo growth
Government policy is also beginning to place greater emphasis on air freight. The civil aviation minister said the Union Budget for 2026 includes additional focus on developing air cargo infrastructure and warehousing capacity, particularly for perishable and high-value products. The removal of the value cap on courier exports is also intended to support cross-border e-commerce shipments.
For the Northeast, where distance and terrain have long shaped supply chains, faster cargo movement could gradually reshape trade flows. Agricultural products, horticulture and speciality crops produced in the region already find markets across India, and improved logistics could expand those channels.
Amazon’s expansion does not immediately alter the cargo balance at Guwahati, where inbound freight still dominates.The expansion indicates that e-commerce demand in the Northeast has reached a scale where dedicated air cargo services can operate alongside passenger belly capacity and express freight networks.
As freight volumes continue to rise and airport infrastructure expands, Guwahati’s position as the region’s primary cargo gateway is likely to strengthen.
