Budapest, Prague and Ho Chi Minh City will be added to Qatar Airways Cargo’s expanding list of freighter destinations in March. With these additions, the airline will now have 14 European freighter destinations and six to the Asia-Pacific region.
An A330F will fly twice a week between Doha and Ho Chi Minh on Thursdays and Saturdays, with 120 tonnes of cargo capacity, in addition to the 72 tonnes weekly belly-hold capacity on the daily passenger flights to Ho Chi Minh. Qatar Airways Cargo’s new service to Ho Chi Minh will support Vietnam’s growing influence as a major exporter of garments, footwear and handicrafts to the United States and Europe.
The new Doha–Budapest–Prague service will depart from Doha on Thursdays and Sundays. The 120 tonnes of weekly cargo capacity on the A330F to be used on the route will be split evenly between the two Eastern European cities. This new route will provide a gateway into the Eastern European market from Asia for electronics and automotive parts, as well as textiles, pharmaceuticals and biotech products.
Further network growth is planned for later this year as more aircraft join the expanding fleet. According to Qatar, new A330F and a new 747F nose loader were received by the airline last month, and a further A330F is scheduled to arrive in the first quarter of the year, followed by three new 777Fs by the end of 2016.
Qatar Airways Cargo now flies its freighters to 52 dedicated-cargo destinations and flies belly hold cargo on passenger aircraft to more than 150 destinations around the world.