Blue Dart Express Rating- Neutral - Robust portfolio of air and ground cargo offerings

Blue Dart Express Rating: Neutral | Robust portfolio of air and ground cargo offerings

Blue dart express (BDE) commands greater than 50% market share in the organised Air Express segment and has been picking up market share in the Ground Express segment. The company has well-diversified service offerings of Air express (~65% revenue share) and Ground express (~35% revenue share). Despite the challenging last few years, BDE has managed to grow revenue through improved volumes and realisations. Through its dedicated aircraft fleet service, its operations were not as severely impacted as pure road transporters during the pandemic.

The Ground express segment is expected to grow at 2x the air express segment. The company is looking to increase the share of Ground express in its overall mix to better capitalise on the growth opportunity.

Also Read: LIC Rating: Hold | Operating parameters broadly stable

The company has announced a price hike of 9.6% effective Jan 01, 2023. This price hike is the annual price hike of Blue Dart . Also, ATF prices have fallen ~18% from its highs in Jul’22, which should offset some of the increases in other costs and support overall margins for the company.

The company is looking to add two new aircraft to increase its operations in smaller towns.

On the back of a strong parentage and an enviable network, BDE caters to more than 35,000 locations, with a fleet of six aircraft and more than 12,000 vehicles. The company has more than 2,300 facilities and hubs across India, aiding in servicing 98% of the pin codes. It plans to further strengthen and consolidate its air and ground infrastructure to expand its reach.

The company is looking to add two Boeing 737 aircraft with a capex of Rs 3- 3.5 bn in 2HFY23 to cater to the increasing demand for Air express. The two new aircraft would be of 18 tonnes capacity (existing aircraft are 30 tonnes capacity) to cover Tier II & Tier III cities. The robust network built over the years will help the company capitalize on the growth opportunity in the Express Logistics space.