Qatar Airways Cargo, the freight division of Qatar Airways has announced the addition of more air freight capacity to and from India from April 1, 2020 with the utilisation of belly-hold operations of freight-only passenger aircraft.
The airline will operate 19 weekly Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 787 Dreamliner cargo-only passenger aircraft to– Delhi (3 weekly flights), Hyderabad (2 weekly flights), Bengaluru (3 weekly flights), Chennai (4 weekly flights), Mumbai (5 weekly flights), and Kolkata (2 weekly flights). The flights will be operated on a turnaround basis without any cabin crew members or passengers on-board.
The cargo carrier said the flights have been introduced as a result of strong demand for Indian products such as pharmaceuticals and fresh produce.
Qatar Airways Group’s 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 utilising 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 belly-hold services will see the airline’s weekly cargo capacity to India grow from 2,900 to 3,300 tonnes.
