May day for new services

April 30, 2018

May 1 marks the commencement of IAG Cargo’s new route between London Gatwick and Toronto and a new link between Wales and Qatar.

British Airways B777s will be utilised on the service, each giving some 18 tonnes of capacity.

Operated three times a week, the expected traffic from the UK includes pharma, machinery and agricultural equipment.

On the same day, a Qatar Airways A350 XWB will land at Cardiff International Airport after a non-stop flight from Doha inaugurating a daily service to the Welsh capital. Following the inaugural flight, the new service between Doha and Cardiff will be served by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Industry observers point out that the debut flight is something of a “welcome in the hillsides” as the principality hosts the Airbus site at Broughton, where wings for the entire family of Airbus commercial aircraft are made.

James Graham

James Graham is an award-winning transport media journalist with a long background in the commercial freight sector, including commercial aviation and the aviation supply chain. He was the initial Air Cargo Week journalist and retuned later for a stint as editor. He continues his association as editor of the monthly supplements. He has reported for the newspaper from global locations as well as the UK.