Spurred by the success of its first-ever air freight service for the states in North East, the India Post now plans to add wings to its services across the country.

To start with, the air freight service will be introduced connecting all four metros-- Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata -- taking Nagpur as a hub of operations in the first phase. This will happen as soon as the Air India could provide an aircraft on wet lease to India Post.

The metro route will be subsequently, supported by an efficient road transport system owned by the postal department. The India Post will introduce Air Cargo Service, covering the four metros in the country to speed up the delivery system all over the country by setting up hubs and sub-hubs. Nagpur in Central India will be the hub for these air freight service of India Post.

The post master general, Assam Circle, Vasumitra on Friday said the proposed air freight service was expected to impart speed and efficiency to cargo handling and delivery system of India Post, besides reducing the dependence on Railways and private airlines to carry its cargos.

The department has set aside the money that will be required to take an air craft on wet lease from Air India, which is in the process converting eight of its Boeing 737-200 aircrafts to freighter aircrafts.

Once the metros are connected through air cargo services, then those will be connected to regional hubs through a fast and efficient road mail service to speed up the delivery system--a move which will keep private courier services on its toes.

The department has been spurred to think of flying high by the overwhelming success it has tasted after launching it first air cargo service on August 29 last connecting the North Eastern states to Kolkata by an aircraft taken on a wet lease from Air India.

The tremendous response has made the India Post to decide on running another cargo aircraft to the hilly North East as soon as it can get hold of an aircraft. The freighter aircraft operates on all days, except Mondays in Kolkata-Guwahati-Imphal-Agartala-Kolkata route.