Qatar Airways Cargo Adds New Destinations

Qatar Airways Cargo has added Huntsville, Ala. as a new cargo destination within the U.S. in a strategic partnership with DSV Global Transportation and Logistics. The airline will operate a twice-weekly flight using Boeing 777 freighter aircraft that will originate in Mexico City and terminate in Doha via Luxembourg.

Service began earlier in September and comes in as Qatar Airways Cargo’s 22^nd destination in the Americas that offers cargo either through dedicated cargo aircraft or in the belly of passenger aircraft. It’s expected that the route will offer 200 tons of capacity and will likely become a favorite of the auto industry found within Alabama looking to send vehicles and other automotive parts to Europe via Luxembourg and beyond through Doha.

Mazda Toyota Manufacturing has a massive plant located right outside of Huntsville that is a quick 15-minute drive to the cargo terminal at Huntsville International Airport. Other automakers such as Honda, Hyundai, and Mercedes-Benz have a significant presence in the state as do OEM manufacturers such as Navistar. It is expected that all of these manufacturers will be taking advantage of the growth in cargo capacity.

The Mexico City, Huntsville, Luxembourg, and Doha corridor is also expected to be a hit with the petroleum and pharmaceutical industries which all have a significant presence along the entire route.

Air Cargo Growth

This is one of the latest steps in the growth of the cargo business for the airline. Qatar Airways’ cargo operations include over 70 dedicated cargo destinations served by a fleet of cargo aircraft. This fleet consists of two Boeing 747-8s, two Boeing 747-400s, 26 Boeing 777s, and one Airbus A310. The airline also offers cargo service to over 150 destinations it serves using passenger aircraft.

Alongside the Qatar Airways fleet itself, the airline has also recently partnered with Xiamen Airlines to increase cargo capacity from Doha to Mainland China.

As part of the agreement Xiamen Airlines seven times a week from Beijing’s Daxing International Airport to Doha’s Hamad International Airport using Boeing 787-9 aircraft and twice a week from Xiamen, China using Boeing 787-8 aircraft.

This adds to the already significant cargo capacity available between the two countries with Qatar Airways serving nine destinations in Mainland China and offering over 2,800 weekly tonnes of cargo capacity.

Cargo will continue to be a key growth area for the airline as it continues to add more destinations and create partnerships to add capacity. Overall, global air cargo traffic is forecasted to grow at a tremendous four percent per year through 2039. It’s an absolutely massive industry with IATA estimating that 2023 cargo revenues across the airline industry to be $142.3 billion in 2023.

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Hemal Gosai

Hemal took his first flight at four years old and has been an avgeek since then. When he isn't working as an analyst he's frequently found outside watching planes fly overhead or flying in them. His favorite plane is the 747-8i which Lufthansa thankfully flies to EWR allowing for some great spotting. He firmly believes that the best way to fly between JFK and BOS is via DFW and is always willing to go for that extra elite qualifying mile. Hemal's opinions are his own and do not reflect those of his employer.

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