Qatar Airways has launched a daily passenger flight to Atlanta, adding belly cargo capacity to a route it already flies with freighters.

The flight is to be operated with a Boeing 777-200LR, which offers a cargo capacity of approximately 16 tonnes. Qatar Airways Cargo currently flies to Atlanta four times a week with 777Fs.

“There is enormous potential for growth in the Americas, as our rapid expansion in this market indicates,” said Ulrich Ogiermann, chief officer of cargo at Qatar Airways. “We started freighter services to Atlanta in November 2011, and we are excited to now launch passenger flights giving us extra cargo capacity into the world’s busiest airport. Our customers now have access to more capacity in addition to a network of more than 150 destinations via our state-of-the-art hub in Doha as well as innovative solutions for their cargo.”

Qatar Airways Cargo also flies its freighters to Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles and Mexico City in the US.