Qatar Airways Cargo's ground handling partner, Qatar Aviation Services Cargo, has achieved a milestone certification, certifying the cargo facility at the Doha hub as a Smart Facility.

In a statement, the airline said QAS Cargo is the first cargo ground handing agent in the Middle East and Africa region to attain the Smart Facility Operational Capacity Certification (SFOC).

This achievement complements the recent IATA Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV Fresh) certification in June 2023.

Qatar Airways Cargo noted that the audit that was conducted in April 2023 included assessing the cargo handling infrastructure, equipment and implementation of procedures at the Cargo Terminal Complex.

The IATA audit team validated the operational procedures of QAS Cargo in compliance with a number of IATA Regulations — IATA Cargo Handling Manual, Dangerous Goods Regulations, Unit Load Device Regulations, Temperature Control Regulations, Live Animals Regulations and Perishable Cargo Regulations.

"Our growth to becoming the world's leading air cargo carrier today has been no easy achievement. Our teams have one goal in mind — customer experience. It is this goal, combined with our Next Generation and VISION 2027 strategy, through which we have implemented quality procedures in every area of our business. The certification of our hub in Doha reflects the high standards in place to ensure all types of cargo are handled seamlessly and securely, in compliance with all the IATA regulations," said Guillaume Halleux, chief officer of cargo at Qatar Airways Cargo.

Deepak Balakrishnan, vice president of QAS Cargo, said IATA's Smart Facility Operational Capacity Certification is a testament to efforts by both Qatar Airways Cargo and QAS Cargo teams.

"We are proud of our state-of-the-art handling facility, the services implemented, our robust and defined procedures, as well as our teams who dedicatedly ensure that cargo is handled extremely well, no matter the type of cargo," he said.

Meanwhile, Brendan Sullivan, IATA's Global Head of Cargo, said, "customers of organisations attaining Smart Facility Operational Capacity Certification (SFOC) recognise it as a key differentiator, highlighting the additional efforts taken to improve cargo operations, safety, service quality and enhance the customer experience."

"We congratulate Qatar Aviation Services (QAS) on achieving SFOC certification. Cargo operations are the pivot of the air cargo supply chain, and with SFOC, QAS drive safe, efficient and customer-focused operations," Sullivan said.

Both Qatar Airways Cargo and QAS Cargo are already certified for IATA CEIV Pharma, IATA CEIV Fresh, IATA CEIV Live Animals and IATA CEIV Lithium Battery certifications.