“As 2021 draws to an end, Qatar Airways Cargo looks back on another eventful year. The American author and activist, Sharon Weil sums up the experience of the past 12-19 months best: ‘Navigating change is the new stability’.
“Qatar Airways Cargo has forged ahead with its strategic focus on growth, sustainability, and digitalisation in the face of uncertainty, and we are thankful to also draw our stability from the support our dedicated customers and employees have shown and continue to show on a daily basis. We know that Qatar Airways Cargo would not be able to navigate the many challenges and changes in our industry so successfully without you. For this, we thank you”, Guillaume Halleux, chief officer cargo of Qatar Airways Cargo, extends his appreciation in a corporate communication.
Qatar Airways Cargo’s year in figures
January to November 2020 saw a tonnage growth of 3.78% in chargeable weight over the same period in 2019 while January to November 2021 saw an even higher growth of 13.42% over the same period last year.
The carrier transported 1,574,705 tonnes between January to November 2021. A significant part of the tonnage continued to be medical equipment, PPE, and critical supplies to combat the pandemic, including free medical aid to India at the height of the crisis there in April and May.
So far, more than 500,000 tonnes of medical cargo have flown on board of Qatar Airways Cargo since the start of the pandemic. Among these, 500 million COVID-19 vaccines were transported throughout its network, out of which more than 72 million doses were flown under UNICEF’s COVAX programme, Qatar Airways Cargo signed a Memorandum of Understanding with UNICEF in February this year, covering 5 years of vaccine transport support.
Network
The year began with a world premiere, as Qatar Airways Cargo took delivery of three brand new Boeing 777 freighters on a single day, bringing its total freighter fleet count to 34 freighters: two Boeing 747-8 freighters, 26 Boeing 777 freighters, and six B777-300ER mini freighters. Services to Saudi Arabia were resumed in January, for the first time since 2017, and Qatar Airways Cargo soon appointed General Sales Agents in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the Arab Republic of Egypt.
In October, it increased its presence across Central Eastern Europe with the appointment of a new GSSA for Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Qatar Airways Cargo served over 60 freighter destinations in 2021, and together with Qatar Airways’ passenger or bellyhold cargo network of over 140 destinations,, the airline welcomed new destinations to the network this year, Almaty in Kazakhstan and Odesa in Ukraine being the most recent new destinations launched.
The year ahead
“Digitalisation will continue to be a core focus in 2022, since it is a major enabler in ensuring quality, speed, efficiency, excellent customer service, and flight safety. The latter will be further supported by our Unit Load Device (ULD) fleet rollover to Safran’s new, Fire Resistant Containers. We will continue to invest in the quality of our products, in our unrelenting push for highest quality standards in our industry, and will continue to collaborate with our customers, partners, and staff, to deliver true value to the market. For us at Qatar Airways Cargo, it is not enough to be the largest cargo airline; our mission is to be the world’s best cargo airline,” outlines Guillaume Halleux.
