The airline recorded a 37.5% boost in tonnages, sending total cargo volumes from 1,104,000 tonnes in 2014 to 1,520,000 tonnes in 2015. In a statement, the carrier attributed the surge to a combination of “fleet and network expansion, creative interline agreements and by deploying capacity on expanding or untapped markets.” Additional factors in the overall increase were the rise in imports into Doha, which went up by 29%, while exports from Doha increased by 10% and transit cargo at the hub swelled by 39% in 2015.
Commenting on the encouraging results, Ulrich Ogiermann, Qatar Airways Chief Officer Cargo, said: “At a time when international air cargo traffic grew only 2.5% in 2015, it makes us very proud that our year-on-year figures from 2014 to 2015 show that we have grown our tonnage by 37.5%. We have achieved this phenomenal growth through a combination of fleet and network expansion, creative interline agreements and by deploying capacity on expanding or untapped markets.”
Qatar Airways Cargo has plans to add further aircraft to its fleet of freighters, enabling the expansion of the route network. With the introduction of an A330F and a new Boeing 747F nose loader in December, an eighth A330F recently joining the fleet and three more Boeing 777 freighters scheduled for delivery by the end of the year, it is expected that cargo figures will continue to grow for the airline.
Continuing with the growth mode, the airline’s recently launched Dallas/Fort Worth freighter in January took the total number of freight destinations in the US to 13; while an extra, fourth-weekly freighter began serving Los Angeles, also in January. In addition, three new freighter routes are planned for March, flying to Budapest, Prague and Ho Chi Minh, taking Qatar Airways Cargo’s total freighter destinations to 14 in Europe and six in the Asia Pacific region.
