Qatar Airways Cargo commenced freighter operations to Riyadh on November 1st in a bid to boost connections between Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

The service will be operated by a Boeing 777 freighter twice a week, offering a cargo capacity of 100 tonnes per flight.

 Source: Qatar Airways Cargo

Qatar said the cargo carrier serves the cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Qassim and Medina, with a total of 96 passenger flights every week, offering its customers belly-hold cargo capacity on these flights.

It added that the addition of freighter services to and from Riyadh will boost the cargo capacity, increasing the total belly and main deck capacity to more than 900 tonnes per week to Saudi Arabia and over 900 tonnes from Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh is the capital and largest city in Saudi Arabia. The majority of the imports and exports consist of general cargo, followed by valuable/vulnerable cargo and live animals.

Increased connection between Qatar, Saudi Arabia

"We have had a very successful 2022 so far and I am pleased to announce the freighter services to Riyadh. The launch of these services will not only provide a consistent and reliable freighter service but also contribute to the economic and trade growth between Qatar and Saudi Arabia," commented Guillaume Halleux, Qatar Airways chief officer of cargo.

Qatar Airways Cargo has a large footprint in the Middle East and serves over 22 passenger and freighter destinations in the region.

Cargo capacity is also set to increase to and from other Middle Eastern cities, as the airline increases its flights from 37 to 39 for Kuwait, and from 8 to 10 for Muscat by adding two A310 freighters per week to each of these cities.

The cargo carrier recently launched its Next Generation strategy, with digitalisation as a key pillar.

Qatar Airways Cargo said it has also pioneered its next-generation Digital Experience platform with a revamped, comprehensive, and intuitive cargo customer portal called Digital Lounge bringing added value to the airline's customers, offering better engagement and interaction, increased productivity and time management, as well as better visibility, transparency and performance monitoring.

Qatar Airways Cargo noted that it will be focusing on enhancing many of its services including booking, tracking and tracing, account management, and reporting.