Despite Airspace Risks, Qatar Cargo Resumes Dedicated Freighter Flights from Doha

Source: Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways Cargo has announced that starting March 21, it will begin operating flights to a slew of destinations, including Vietnam, China, Thailand, South Korea, Nigeria, Kenya, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the US, Brazil, Ecuador, and Panama.

In an official statement, an airline representative noted: "Qatar Airways Cargo resumes selected freighter operations to and from Doha,"

This restoration process is being executed cautiously and under strict control. The statement specified: "Following temporary authorisation from the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority, confirming limited operating corridors, the air cargo carrier will operate across key markets."

"In parallel, Qatar Airways Cargo continues to operate the wider freighter network outside Doha, ensuring uninterrupted access to major global trade lanes and maintaining capacity across its international network."

Alongside its dedicated freighter network, Qatar Airways is also maintaining a limited number of passenger flights offering belly-hold cargo capacity.

Transport Restrictions and Signals of Capacity Recovery

Despite reopening flight routes, the carrier maintains an embargo on certain specific cargo categories, including live animals and urgent shipments under the Q-Prime service…

For the remaining commodity groups, the airline affirmed: "All other Qatar Airways Cargo products remain available for booking through normal sales channels, including the Digital Lounge and local Qatar Airways Cargo sales teams, with capacity open for customer bookings."

Full flight operations will only resume completely once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) officially announces the "full and safe reopening of Qatari airspace."

The gradual restoration of freighter and passenger flights departing the Middle East is helping to bridge the capacity gap compared to a year ago. Data from consultancy Rotate indicates that over the past weekend, global cargo capacity was down only 7% year-on-year (YoY). This figure demonstrates a marked improvement compared to a 10% drop the previous week, a 15% decline in the first week of the month, and a steep 21% plunge over the weekend of Feb 28 - March 1 when the Middle East conflict first erupted.

However, when looking specifically at routes to and from the Middle East, capacity levels remain a far cry from last year. Specifically, over the past weekend, capacity from Asia to the Middle East plummeted 28% YoY, while the Middle East-to-Europe lane recorded a 25% drop.

In stark contrast to that gloomy picture, capacity on the Asia-Europe lane surged a robust 37%, primarily driven by carriers actively seeking alternative space to compensate for the payload shortage when transiting via the Middle East.

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Source: Phaata.com (According to Air Cargo News)

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