Qatar Airways Cargo delivers 4000 tonnes of flowers, adds capacity

This Valentine's, Qatar Airways Cargo transported over 4,000 tonnes of flowers around the world in two weeks. Exported from two main areas, Latin America (Ecuador and Colombia) and Africa (Uganda and Kenya), the flowers are travelling to 5 major international destinations: USA, Amsterdam (for distribution across Europe), Australia, the Middle East and Japan.

Qatar Airways Cargo is increasing the frequency of its flights to expand capacity in order to meet the high demand during this peak period. On top of the usual cargo and passenger flights, this translates into 10 additional B777 freighter flights from Nairobi to Liege and 10 additional flights from Quito to Amsterdam and Miami. Furthermore, the airline uses road transport services from European airports to Amsterdam, where logistics for important consumer nations are set up.

Ensuring that this fragile cargo is handled with extreme care and delivered on time necessitates not just extensive planning and preparation on the part of the Qatar Airways Cargo staff, but also a high level of competence and experience. Qatar Airways Cargo has been transporting flowers from Nairobi for more than 10 years and will be the top cargo operator there by Valentine's Day 2023.

Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways Cargo said, “In a constantly evolving market, Qatar Airways Cargo has always been able to improve its offering to meet new needs. The launch of The Next Generation, which is accompanied by a new vision of business, is proof of this. Today, in the very demanding period of Valentine’s Day, we are proud to put our expertise and efficiency at the service of our customers.”

Moreover the carrier has implemented an elaborate temperature-controlled forwarding system to guarantee that flowers arrive fresh at their final destination. Because the Valentine’s Day period necessitates considerable coordination to arrange charters with the authorities and to manage the extra volumes and flights, close and constant contact with customers to ensure proper planning of shipments on the respective flight days is also essential.

True to its motto “Moved by People”, Qatar Airways Cargo can be trusted to deliver impeccable service and to guarantee that love will prevail on this special day.