Qatar Airways Cargo honours agents at Colombo awards gala

• Leading freight forwarders recognised for their contribution to Qatar Airways Cargo growth in Sri Lanka
• Qatar Airways Cargo ranked world’s fifth cargo carrier in international FTKs

Qatar Airways Cargo Annual Agents Awards winners - Pic by Lasantha Kumara

Qatar Airways Cargo held its Annual Agents Awards event in Colombo, Sri Lanka, last week celebrating the region’s top freight forwarding agents and their role in supporting the airline’s cargo growth. Trophies and certificates were handed out to 10 top freight agents at the gala event attended by more than 200 representatives from the Sri Lankan freight forwarding sector, Sri Lanka Customs and Government bodies. Expo Lanka Freight received the accolade for top freight forwarder and the gold award, with the silver award presented to Brandt Air Services and the bronze to Freight Links International. Qatar Airways Cargo and its Sri Lankan general sales agent, Aitken Spence Cargo, recognised all attendees for their support and contribution to the success of the airline’s rapid airfreight growth in the region. Qatar Airways Chief Officer Cargo Ulrich Ogiermann said: “The Annual Agents Awards event is a great opportunity for Qatar Airways Cargo to show our appreciation to our valued partners whose support and contribution has enabled us to grow our business in Sri Lanka. We look forward to their continued support.” Aitken Spence Director Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake said: “The Annual Agents Awards event honours the efforts and hard work of all the local freight agents who play a significant role in facilitating the Sri Lankan airfreight market and enabling goods to be transported from the region to Qatar Airways Cargo’s worldwide network.” Qatar Airways Cargo operates three daily flights to Colombo, offering a total capacity of 250 tons per week into and out of the Sri Lankan market carrying garments, live animals, and perishables, including fish and plants, destined for Europe, the United States and the Middle East. Qatar Airways Cargo has witnessed rapid growth over the past five years, propelling its worldwide ranking from 16 to number five in terms of international freight tonne kilometres. The carrier’s dedicated cargo services such as QR Pharma and QR Fresh utilise a host of innovations to provide customers with comprehensive solutions to transport and protect temperature-sensitive cargo through the entire journey, in the toughest of conditions. Qatar Airways Cargo recently announced freighter services to Los Angeles, effective 4 April and welcomed its eighth B777F to its fleet of six Airbus A330F and B777 freighters. Qatar Airways Cargo serves 48 exclusive freighter destinations worldwide via its state-of-the-art Doha hub and also delivers freight to 146 key business and leisure destinations globally on 151 aircraft. The Qatar Airways Cargo fleet currently includes six Airbus A330F and eight Boeing 777 Freighters. At the Dubai Airshow 2013, Qatar Airways placed a firm order for five new Airbus A330-200 Freighter aircraft. Also included in the order were eight additional A330-200F options, for a total of 13 aircraft. At the 2014 Farnborough Airshow, Qatar Airways announced its intent to order four B777 Freighters and options for four more.