Qatar Airways to begin Chicago freighter service
09 / 08 / 2010
QATAR Airways Cargo has announced it will begin scheduled freighter services to Chicago (US), its first dedicated freighter operation to the US, from 18 August.
The new twice-weekly services will be operated with Qatar’s new Boeing 777 freighters and will fly from the airline’s hub in Doha via Amsterdam (The Netherlands). Payloads on the new services will be up to 100 tonnes per flight and are expected to include freight items such as machinery, textiles, auto parts, fruit and vegetables and general cargo.
Chicago is the airline’s first dedicated freighter destination in the US and the airline’s fourth destination, following passenger and cargo services to New York, Washington DC and Houston.
In the past three months, Qatar Airways Cargo has ramped up its expansion with the recent introduction of two new Boeing 777 freighters, with a third expected for operation in 2011.
Qatar Airways Group chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker said: “Qatar Airways Cargo operation is expanding exponentially.”