Sri Lanka forwarder EFL commits to Pittsburgh airport through Qatar Airways Cargo

July 19, 2019: Sri Lanka-based freight forwarder EFL has committed to shipping its goods to Pittsburgh International Airport through Qatar Airways Cargo. EFL will capitalise on one of Qatar’s two weekly Boeing 777 freighters into Pittsburgh. The company’s first 90-tonne shipment started in May into Pittsburgh.

“The success of Qatar Airways, and the partnership with EFL, strengthens our ability to attract manufacturing and distribution to the airport. We are planting the seeds for manufacturing, distribution, logistics and connectivity in the global marketplace. We are excited to see it bear much fruit in the years to come, and to see the growth of jobs in these areas continue,” said said Allegheny county executive Rich Fitzgerald.

Pittsburgh’s location midway between Chicago and New York offers convenient access to two of the largest air cargo markets in the US and many markets in between.

“Our goal is to build Pittsburgh into an international logistics centre and with great partners like Qatar Airways Cargo and EFL, that goal is becoming a reality. This is cargo that used to enter into the US through major airports such as New York and Chicago but instead they’re choosing to use our region as a gateway. That means jobs and business for our region,” Pittsburgh International Airport CEO Christina Cassotis said.

EFL’s Group chief executive officer Senthil Shanmugam said, “At EFL, it has been a constant pursuit to find efficient and innovative solutions for our customers, which has led us to this initiative with Qatar Airways Cargo, with who we have a relationship for over a decade. Considering EFL’s spread of seven offices in USA, of which five of them being in East Coast and Midwest, having a gateway that is accessible to these regions was important. Pittsburgh is a logical location for this operation as it allows us to have a fast turnover of cargo in comparison to more traditional and congested gateways. We’re grateful to the Allegheny County Airport Authority for assisting us with facilitating this effort.”