Qatar Airways starts non-stop weekly cargo flights from Sialkot
Qatar Airways has become first airline by commencing its weekly cargo non-stop flights between the airlines operational hub of Doha and Sialkot. The first cargo flight with exportable consignments weighing 40 tons took off from Sialkot international airport on Monday evening.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony the Cargo Hub Operations Manager Khalid Munir said that our new five star cargo service which operates every Monday will prove to be a huge success. Qatar Airways are looking forward to working with local business community, exporters, freight forwarders and agents he said.
According to media release of Qatar Airways, Qatar Airways cargo is adding yet another freight service to its network with the launch of non-stop flights between Doha and Sialkot. The new service which begins today by using an Airbus A300-600 freighter capitalises on the city's strong reputation for exporting high quality medical, sporting and leather goods.
With such a high volume of products being exported from the city, Qatar Airways cargo -the freighter arm of leading five star airline saw a huge potential in operating a direct cargo service into Sialkot, of which Sialkot is the capital city. Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker explained that with the impressive growth of passenger business over the years, there was now a concerted effort to build the airlines cargo operation.
This second new freight service launched by Qatar Airways cargo in the space of just two months having begun cargo flights to Zaragoza in September he added. We have a strong commitment to strengthen our cargo network as we explore diverse and exciting cities such as Sialkot, which has established export business in textile, surgical and sporting goods industries. Sialkot is a perfect addition to the airline's already strong Pakistan network, where we have two other cargo and passenger routes Akbar Al Baker added.
Speaking on the occasion, Chairman Sialkot International Airport Limited (SIAL) Ghulam Mustafa Choudary thanked the Qatar Airways for launching its non-stop cargo flight from this export-oriented city and hub of cottage industry of the country. He stressed upon the high ups of Qatar Airways to take initiatives for starting passenger flights from Sialkot.