Qatar Airways Cargo is to start Airbus A330 Freighter services to Budapest, Prague and Ho Chi Minh City from March 2016 as the airline continues to expand its network.
The Ho Chi Minh service will fly on Thursdays and Saturdays, providing 120 tonnes of capacity in addition to 72 tonnes of bellyhold capacity on daily passenger flights. Qatar Airways says Vietnam is an increasingly important exporter of garments, footwear and handicrafts.
The Doha – Budapest – Prague service will also operate on Thursdays and Saturdays with 120 tonnes of capacity a week. It says the route will provide access from Asia to Eastern Europe for electronics and automotive parts as well as textiles, pharmaceuticals and biotech products.
Qatar Airways chief officer cargo, Ulrich Ogiermann says: “We are delighted to announce our network expansion in Asia/Pacific and Eastern Europe. We have identified a definite gap in the market in these regions and we look forward to supporting local businesses in the areas with a more robust service connecting them to our wider global network.”
This follows announcements that Qatar Airways will increase services to Croatia, Hungary and Azerbaijan. Flights to Zagreb and Budapest will increase to 10 a week between 3 April and 3 July compared daily, while Baku will rise from daily to 11-weekly from 27 March. Belgrade will receive four times a week services direct from Doha from 16 March, instead of via Sofia.
In January, Qatar Airways Cargo has increased US services with flights to Dallas Fort Worth and a fourth weekly freighter to Los Angeles on 19 January, in addition to a passenger flight on 1 January.
