Qatar Airways begins Doha-Yangon freighter service

Qatar Airways Cargo launched weekly freighter service from Doha to Myanmar’s capital, Yangon, marking the eighth new freighter route the airline has added during 2017.

With more than 60 tonnes of cargo capacity each way aboard an A330 freighter, the new service is expected to transport pharmaceutical imports, fresh produce and food products. The country’s primary export is ready-made garments destined for the United States and Europe, via a stopover at Qatar Airways’ Doha hub.

The addition of the route makes Qatar Airways the first international airline to dedicate freighter service to Yangon and reflects the growing demand for airfreight in Myanmar. Earlier in 2017, supply chain management company CEVA Logistics also opened an office in Yangon as companies are finding the Southeast Asian country more hospitable to economic development since the political reforms from 2011 to 2015.

Qatar Airways has already been involved in cargo transport to and from Yangon by utilizing belly space on its daily passenger flights, but Myanmar’s airfreight exports and imports are growing at a rapid pace, increasing by 87 percent and 58 percent, respectively, since 2014. “Myanmar has had the fastest-growing economy in the ASEAN region, and foreign investment in local trade has seen tremendous growth,” said Qatar Airways’ acting chief cargo officer, Guillaume Halleux.