Bolloré Logistics said its Europe and China units took part in the official launch of the Qatar Airways Cargo African hub in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.

In a brief statement, Bolloré said partnering with Qatar Airways Cargo enables it to broaden its range of services to its customers using a wider intra-African transportation network, offering reliable service and more efficient routing to Africa.

"In March 2023, Qatar Airways Cargo started operations from Doha to Kigali, with up to 100 tonnes of freight capacity on each aircraft," it said, noting that the cargo route connecting Doha and Kigali is operated by a Boeing 777 cargo aircraft with flights twice a week.

Bolloré said since June, Qatar Airways Cargo has expanded its services to offer a weekly service from Doha to Kigali via Istanbul and intra-Africa services between Kigali and Lagos (three times per week), Kigali and Kano (once a week) and Kigali and Johannesburg (two times per week), all operated by an Airbus A310.

"Bolloré Logistics and Qatar Airways Cargo have been working together for several years. The opening of the Kigali Hub will open new opportunities for both companies' cargo operations across Africa. It will enable us to meet the growing needs of our customers and, over time, promises to foster economic prosperity on the continent," said Basile Ricard, director of operations at Bolloré Logistics Greater China.

Bolloré noted that the Kigali hub is Qatar Airways Cargo's first cargo hub outside Qatar and provides a firm foundation for the future development of the air cargo logistics industry in Africa.

Qatar Airways Cargo said earlier that aside from the initial services it launched, more African destinations are due to be added to the network at a later stage.