DOHA: Qatar Airways Cargo (QAC) will launch three new freighter routes to Budapest, Prague and Ho Chi Minh in March.
This will increase QAC’s freighter destinations in Europe to 14 and in Asia/Pacific to six. The airline flies its fleet of 16 freighters to 52 cargo destinations and flies belly hold cargo on passenger aircraft to over 150 destinations across its global network.
An A330F will fly twice a week from Doha to Ho Chi Minh on Thursdays and Saturdays and provide 120 tonnes of cargo capacity to and from the city, in addition to 72 tonnes weekly belly hold capacity on the daily passenger flights to the city.
The new service to Ho Chi Minh will support Vietnam’s growing influence as a major exporter of garments, footwear and handicrafts to the US and Europe.
The Doha-Budapest-Prague service will depart from Doha on Thursdays and Sundays. The 120 tonnes of weekly cargo capacity on the A330F, which will fly to the two new Eastern European cities, will be allocated evenly between the two markets. The new route will provide a major gateway into Eastern Europe from Asia for electronics and automotive parts, textiles, pharmaceuticals and biotech products.
“We are delighted to announce our network expansion in Asia/Pacific and Eastern Europe,” said Ulrich Ogiermann, Chief Officer Cargo, QA. “We have identified a gap in the market in these regions and look forward to supporting local businesses in the areas with a more robust service connecting them to our wider global network.”
QAC’s network expansion this year began with the launch of a freighter destination to Dallas/Fort Worth, taking the airline’s number of freight destinations in the US to 13. A fourth-weekly freighter began serving Los Angeles on January 19, complementing the new passenger service to the City of Angels, which commenced on January 1. Further network growth is planned later this year as more aircraft join the expanding fleet.
The Peninsula
