Qatar Airways ups cargo capacity to uplift pharma, perishables from India

Qatar Airways Cargo has added additional air freight capacity to and from India by utilising belly capacity on its passenger aircraft from April 1. These flights will be in addition to the cargo carrier’s existing freighter services and have been introduced as a result of strong demand for Indian products such as pharmaceuticals and fresh produce.

The airline will operate freight-only passenger aircraft to Delhi (weekly three flights), Hyderabad (weekly 2 flights), Bengaluru (weekly three flights), Chennai (weekly four flights), Mumbai (weekly five flights) and Kolkata (weekly two flights).

Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar Al Baker said, “We are pleased to add belly-hold cargo operations to India to supplement our existing freighter aircraft operations. We are thankful to the Indian government for their flexibility in allowing Qatar Airways to continue supporting worldwide trade connectivity by utilizing passenger aircraft to carry freight only while passenger operations remain restricted. We continue to see strong demand for exports and imports, particularly the transportation of essential medical supplies manufactured in India that are pivotal to the global fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The addition of these 19 weekly bellyhold services will see the airline’s weekly cargo capacity to India grow from 2120 to 2535 tonnes. The belly-hold cargo flights will be operated on a turnaround basis without any cabin crew members or passengers on board.