Qatar Airways Cargo has announced a major expansion of services in South America with scheduled services in four new destinations including Campinas (Brazil), Santiago (Chile), Lima (Peru) and Bogotá (Colombia).

In a statement, the freighter said the new South America services will commence on January  16, 2020, upon the delivery of its additional Boeing 777 freighters.

Demand for fresh produce from South America

“We are very excited about our expansion in South America. The Americas are a very important market for us and there is a huge demand for South American fresh produce in Asia,” said Guillaume Halleux, Qatar Airways chief officer cargo.

“With the introduction of our twice-weekly Boeing 777 freighter services, we offer exporters in South America a direct route for their cargo and a global network. Importers also stand to gain from the huge capacity to bring in their cargo to South America,” he added.

According to Qatar Airways, general cargo, pharmaceuticals, and perishables will form the majority of goods imported and exported to and from South America along with some movements of live animals and high-value items like telecommunication equipment, electronics and other valuable cargo.

“Air cargo is a crucial element in the global transport system that supports international trade and the free flow of goods around the world. The addition of these four new routes in South America further reinforces our position as one of the world’s leading air cargo providers, operating one of the largest networks in the world with the youngest and most environmentally efficient fleet in the industry,” said Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group chief executive.

 B-777 freighter utilization

The twice-weekly flights to Bogotá from Doha will operate via Luxembourg and Miami, while the service from Bogotá to Doha will operate via Liège, offering 200 tonnes on each leg. The twice-weekly flights to Campinas from Doha will operate via Luxembourg with the service from Campinas to Doha, operating via Santiago, Lima, Dallas and Luxembourg, also offering 200 tonnes on each leg.

These new destinations will commence close on the heels of the recent arrival of the airline’s twenty-first brand new Boeing 777 freighter last month which increased the airline’s freighter fleet to 28 aircraft.

Qatar Airways Cargo also has an order for five additional Boeing 777 freighters, placed at the Paris Air Show 2019, with deliveries starting from April 2020 onwards.

Qatar Airways Cargo serves 18 freighter and 13 belly-hold cargo destinations in the Americas. The carrier also recently completed a year of successful transpacific operations, now operating four-times weekly freighters direct from Asia to North America.