The airline has expanded their fleet of freighters to 30 with the delivery of three brand new Boeing 777 Freighters, significantly boosting their cargo capacity. Qatar Airways Cargo now operates two B747 Freighters, 24 777s and four Airbus A330s.
On Friday (January 1, 2021), Qatar Airways Cargo announced the delivery of three brand new Boeing 777 Freighters, expanding their dedicated cargo fleet to 30 aircraft including two Boeing 747 Freighters, 24 Boeing 777 Freighters and four Airbus A330 Freighters. The new aircraft will substantially bolster the carrier’s cargo capacity and will be deployed on long-haul scheduled routes and charters, supporting global trade and the movement of time and temperature sensitive goods, including vaccines. In Friday’s announcement, Qatar Airways Group’s Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said,
“With the arrival of these new freighters, we are injecting much needed capacity in the market helping support global supply chains at a critical time during the pandemic. The added capacity will enable us to support the logistics around the COVID-19 vaccination which is projected to be one of the greatest logistical challenges for the industry. The 777F’s fuel-efficiency, long range and high capacity will support our airline to be more sustainable and operate additional non-stop flights to further destinations around the world, facilitating the movement of time and temperature sensitive goods. With our investments in innovation and fleet, we are able to fulfil our customers’ logistical requirements and support the continuity of global trade.”
Also commenting on the new freighter deliveries, The Boeing Company’s Senior Vice President – Commercial Sales and Marketing, Mr. Ihssane Mounir, added,
“During these challenging times, Qatar Airways Cargo has been transporting humanitarian relief and medical goods to those in need and we are proud that their growing fleet of 777 freighters is supporting such a commendable effort. We deeply appreciate our long-standing partnership with Qatar Airways and their confidence in the 777 freighters as the backbone of their expansive global air cargo operations.”
The Boeing 777 Freighter is an efficient long-range and high capacity aircraft and is powered by General Electric GE90-110B1 engines, the most powerful commercial jet engines in the world. The aircraft has a revenue payload capacity of over 102 metric tonnes and a range of 4,970 nautical miles (9,200 kilometers), making it the world’s longest range twin-engine freighter. In addition to their dedicated freighter fleet, Qatar Airways has converted six Boeing 777-300ERs to operate cargo-only flights, adding 137 cubic meters of cargo volume per flight over the lower deck capacity of 156 cubic meters.
Qatar Airways is the national carrier of the state of Qatar and currently operates over 700 weekly flights to more than 100 destinations, providing more flexible travel options to more global destinations than any other airline. The carrier was named the ‘World’s Best Airline’ in the 2019 World Airline Awards managed by Skytrax as well as the ‘Best Airline in the Middle East,’ ‘World’s Best Business Class.’ Qatar Airways has also been awarded the title for ‘Best Business Class Seat’ in recognition of their ground-breaking Qsuite product which offers a spacious 1-2-1 seat layout. Additionally, the airline is the only carrier to have ever received the prestigious “Skytrax Airline of the Year” title five times. Qatar Airways normally serves over 170 global destinations with a fleet of more than 250 modern aircraft. The airline’s primary hub is located at Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar.
Source: Qatar Airways