Qatar Airways Cargo’s first charter freighter service loaded with garments has touched down at Rickenbacker International Airport in Columbus, Ohio.
The cargo carrier is providing bespoke airfreight solutions to transport products for American fashion retailer, L Brands.
The first flight earlier this month, saw over 100 tonnes of garments in collaboration with one of its major customers, Expo Freight (EFL), headquartered in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The garments were flown on a Boeing 777 Freighter from Colombo to Rickenbacker for L Brands.
Qatar Airways chief officer for cargo, Ulrich Ogiermann says: “We appreciate the trust that EFL has placed in us to deliver this special air charter.
“Our extensive cargo network, young and modern fleet of 20 freighters and our expertise in freight charters are the competitive advantages that enable us to customise our connectivity and services to most of the airports in the world.
“With the current five times daily belly flights and twice weekly Airbus A330 Freighters to and from Colombo, Sri Lanka, apparel and local industries in the country are offered more capacity, including quick and efficient connections to key trade markets in Europe and the Americas via our Doha hub.”
EFL founder and chairman, Hanif Yusoof adds: “As a customer centric company, we are honoured to have collaborated with Qatar Airways Cargo on this special charter service for L Brands.
“This serves as a great example of logistic providers and airlines working together to tailor solutions that benefit supply chain customers. We look forward to increasing our engagement with carriers and customers, developing more customised solutions that are both timely and effective.”
The apparel industry is the most significant and dynamic contributor to Sri Lanka’s economy and is the primary foreign exchange earner, accounting for 40 per cent of the country’s total exports.
Through its twice weekly Airbus A330Fs and five times daily flights out of Colombo, the carrier offers over 460 tonnes of cargo capacity from Sri Lanka each week, connecting local production companies to major import markets in Europe and the Americas, via the state-of-the-art hub in Doha.
Qatar Airways Cargo charter product saw a 150 per cent increase in 2016-17 results, over those achieved in 2015-16.
