Qatar Airways Cargo has introduced its second Boeing 777 freighter from Dhaka to Luxembourg, said a press release.
The second freighter service commenced on December 16, 2019 and operates on Mondays, flying non-stop from Dhaka to Luxembourg, it added.
Chief officer, cargo Guillaume Halleux said, ‘The readymade garment (RMG) industry is a major contributor to the economy of Bangladesh and Europe is one of its largest customers.’
‘Through the introduction of the direct freighter service, RMG manufacturers in Bangladesh can export their products directly and quickly to Europe with Qatar Airways Cargo,’ he added.
Qatar Airways Cargo is the only airline to offer direct freighter services from Dhaka to Europe.
The first frequency from Dhaka to Zaragoza was launched in October 2019 and the direct freighter services offer dedicated cargo capacity of 200 tonnes each week from Dhaka to Europe, the release said.
Bangladesh is the world’s second largest apparel exporter after China with the apparel sector, contributing 85 per cent to the export earnings followed by handicrafts and perishables while imports consist mainly of capital goods and perishables.
The cargo carrier offers belly-hold cargo capacity on the three time daily widebody passenger flights and main deck cargo capacity on the seven time weekly Boeing 777 freighters from Dhaka, including the two direct Dhaka to Europe freighters. The total combined cargo capacity offered every week is over 800 tonnes each way.
The cargo carrier has an export market share of over 20 per cent in Bangladesh.
It will soon be introducing its fourth belly-hold cargo flight, starting February 15, 2020, adding an additional 20 tonnes of cargo capacity.
In addition to the huge cargo capacity, the fourth belly-hold flight will also benefit passengers travelling to and from Dhaka as it offers passengers with an additional frequency to the country.
Focusing on customer centricity, the cargo carrier is expanding its network globally.
It recently announced a major expansion in South America with four new freighter destinations to Campinas in Brazil, Santiago of Chile, Lima of Peru and Bogota of Colombia, to be launched on January 16, 2020.
