Qatar Cargo boss Uli Ogiermann to resign in December

Qatar Cargo boss Uli Ogiermann announced today that he will step down in December, after piloting the Gulf-based carrier’s cargo department into the world’s third-largest airfreight operation, according to IATA, and leaving the carrier on an indisputably high note. He assumed the role of Qatar Cargo’s chief cargo officer in 2012.

While Qatar Cargo has not commented to Air Cargo World on the reason for Ogiermann’s decision to leave, he told The Loadstar today that he would be returning to Europe for family reasons. “It has been a very tough decision. My team and I were privileged to develop QR Cargo from small numbers to become an important player in terms of quality and size,” he said.

Ogiermann recently led the cargo carrier during a massive airlift launched in response to a Saudi-sponsored blockade intended to punish Qatar for allegedly supporting terrorism. The embargo of goods, however, had the opposite effect on the Doha-based carrier. Despite the adversity, Ogiermann told Air Cargo World last week that Qatar Airways is the only Middle Eastern carrier to grow its cargo market share in 2017, while both of its main Gulf-region rivals, Etihad and Emirates, “have seen material declines.”

He first joined the airfreight business in the early 1990s with Lufthansa, where he served as cargo route manager for the Americas. Ogiermann, who has dual German and Luxembourgish nationality, also worked for Luxembourg-based Cargloux, starting in 1998 and working his way up to president and CEO in 2003.

Ogiermann also served as TIACA chairman in 2009 and 2010.