Qatar Airways Cargo will be participating in the third Air Cargo Africa exhibition, where the cargo carrier will have an opportunity to showcase its expanding services and its latest developments such as Pharma Express. The prestigious three-day event takes place from February 25-27, in Johannesburg, South Africa, at the Emperors Palace & Casino Resort.
Air Cargo Africa is an international biennial event showcasing Africa’s air cargo potential on a global scale, and is attended by key players from the African cargo community, including manufacturers, shippers, airlines, airports, freight forwarders, charter providers and others.
Mr. Ulrich Ogiermann, Qatar Airways Chief Officer Cargo said: “Air freight in Africa has grown strongly in recent years, and the Middle East is positioned perfectly as an ideal distribution hub for the African continent. We have ambitious plans for our growth in this region and are looking forward to our attendance at Air Cargo Africa 2015 where we can present our products and services such as QR Pharma and QR Fresh to one of the fastest growing air cargo markets in the world.”
Qatar Airways Cargo operates freighters to six African destinations and carries cargo on passenger aircraft to 19 destinations in the continent. In December 2014, freighter services commenced to the West African destinations of Lagos and Accra.
The Swiss city of Basel was the first Qatar Airways Cargo freighter launch destination for 2015, commencing on January 28, and was followed by the addition of service to Ahmedabad, India, on February 3. The airline also commenced its “Pharma Express” service in January 2015 – the first of its kind in the industry that links key pharma origins, Brussels and Basel, with the extensive Qatar Airways' network, via Doha, Qatar.
QR Pharma, launched in January 2014, provides airfreight service for pharmaceutical and healthcare products, offering both active and passive solutions. The active solution provides temperature-controlled containers which are designed to maintain a constant temperature throughout the entire transportation chain, while the passive solution keeps the product within a defined temperature band at all stages of the journey. QR Fresh, an airfreight service for perishable products such as fruits, flowers, vegetables, meat and fish, provides a temperature controlled environment during transit. With QR Fresh, perishables are maintained at the optimal temperature from arrival at their origin airport through to their final destination, thus preserving their high quality and extending their shelf life.
In 2014, Qatar Airways Cargo moved 658 million kilos of cargo, representing a growth of 16.1% over 2013. Customers wishing to meet with Qatar Airways Cargo representatives at Air Cargo Africa can do so at booth number 20 at the exhibition.
