DOHA, Qatar: January 22, 2019. Qatar Airways Cargo has begun a twice-weekly B777 freighter service to Almaty, Kazakhstan (right) with a return to Doha via Hong Kong.

Chief operating officer Cargo Guillaume Halleux commented: “2018 was a great year for us and we are excited to launch our second freighter destination in 2019, just 10 days after the launch of freighter services to Guadalajara, Mexico.

“The new addition further strengthens our global freighter network while expanding our footprint in Europe, which is a key market for air freight,” he continued. The airline said in addition to general cargo, Almaty imports would include fashion and high-tech products.

Qatar Airways has also begun a five times weekly service to Gothenburg with a B787. The new destination will increase overall Nordic market capacity to 1,000 tonnes per week with belly-hold flights to and from Helsinki, Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm and four weekly freighters from Oslo.

Direct flights from Gothenburg will greatly benefit the automotive, pharma, high tech and general industries in Sweden, said the airline.