Qatar Airways Cargo and Expo Freight Logistics have signed a partnership agreement for a weekly charter service beginning on May 13, 2018.

According to Qatar Airways Cargo, it will offer a dedicated Boeing 777F to EFL once a week for a year to transport more than 100 tonnes of garments per flight from Dhaka to New York.

“We are proud of our partnership with EFL and appreciate this long-term relationship, which demonstrates the trust placed by EFL in our services,” said Guillaume Halleux, chief cargo officer of Qatar Airways. “Our expertise in freight charters enables us to customize our connectivity and services for our customers to most of the airports in the world. Utilizing our renowned QR Charter service, we are able to offer tailor-made cargo solutions to our business partners.”

The apparel exports out of Dhaka on the freighters include sportswear, lingerie, loungewear, bridal wear, workwear, swimwear and children’s wear, and will be transported to New York to major retailers in the United States.

Bangladesh is the world’s second-largest exporter of readymade garments, which represent the country’s largest source of export earnings.

“We are pleased to announce this new service from Dhaka for our USA customers,” said Hanif Yusoof, founder and chairman of EFL. “Bangladesh has been a very attractive sourcing market for retailers and the development of better and faster supply chain solutions will further strengthen its reputation in the region. I would like to thank the team at Qatar Airways Cargo for their continued support and we look forward to developing more customized solutions for our key customers.”

Qatar Airways Cargo already operates seven freighters from Dhaka to Doha every week. It also offers bellyhold space on thrice-daily widebody passenger flights, with a combined capacity of over 900 tonnes per week out of Bangladesh for local exports.

QR Charter grew 41% in 2017-2018 compared to 2016-2017, having been used for a variety of missions such as horses, events, cattle, pharmaceuticals, perishables, odd-size shipments, oil and gas products, art, concerts and exhibitions, machinery, mining and humanitarian relief goods, according to Qatar Airways Cargo.