Qatar Airways starts belly-hold cargo operations of pax flights to 6 Indian cities

April 2, 2020: Qatar Airways Cargo announced today that they have added additional freight capacity to and from six Indian cities with its belly-hold operations of cargo-only passenger aircraft.

The airline will operate 19 weekly freight-only passenger aircraft to Delhi (3 weekly flights), Hyderabad (2 weekly flights), Bengaluru (3 weekly flights), Chennai (4 weekly flights), Mumbai (5 weekly flights), and Kolkata (2 weekly flights) utilising its Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

“The addition of these 19-weekly belly-hold services will see the airline's weekly cargo capacity to India grow from 2,120 to 2,535 tonnes. The belly-hold cargo flights will be operated on a turnaround basis without any cabin crew members or passengers on board,” says the release.

These flights will be in addition to the cargo carrier’s existing freighter services and have been introduced as a result of strong demand for Indian products such as pharmaceuticals and fresh produce.

Akbar Al Baker, chief executive, Qatar Airways Group said “We are pleased to add belly-hold cargo operations to India to supplement our existing freighter aircraft operations. We are thankful to the Indian Government for their flexibility in allowing Qatar Airways to continue supporting worldwide trade connectivity by utilising passenger aircraft to carry freight only while passenger operations remain restricted. We continue to see strong demand for exports and imports, particularly the transportation of essential medical supplies manufactured in India that are pivotal to the global fight against the COVID 19 pandemic.”