Qatar Airways Cargo will launch A330F freighter routes to Budapest, Prague and Ho Chi Minh in March, filling a “definite gap in the market” and increasing the Middle East airline’s freighter destinations in Europe to 14 and in Asia/Pacific to six.
An Airbus freighter will fly twice a week from Qatar Airways’ Doha hub to Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam on Thursdays and Saturdays, providing a combined total of 120 tonnes of cargo capacity to and from the city per week, in addition to the 72 tonnes weekly belly hold capacity on the daily passenger flights.
The new Doha–Budapest–Prague service will depart from Doha on Thursdays and Sundays. The 120 tonnes of weekly cargo capacity on the A330F will be allocated evenly between the two markets in Hungary and the Czech Republic.
The new European route will provide a major new gateway into Eastern Europe from Asia for electronics and automotive parts, as well as textiles, pharmaceuticals and biotech products. The service to Ho Chi Minh will support Vietnam’s growing influence as a major exporter of garments, footwear and handicrafts to the US and Europe.