DOHA, Qatar – Qatar Airways Cargo received the Global Cargo Airline of the Year award at a grand gala held last week at The Barnyard Theatre, Johannesburg, as part of Africa’s biennial air freight industry trade exhibition and conference, Air Cargo Africa, that took place from 21 to 23 February.

The award is a significant recognition of Qatar Airways Cargo’s success in the air freight industry. The cargo carrier was nominated and voted the Global Cargo Airline of the Year award by STAT Times readers via online voting prior to the awards announcement. Qatar Airways Cargo made the cut with the highest reader votes among the top five nominees in this award category.

Commenting on this momentous achievement, Qatar Airways Chief Officer Cargo, Mr. Ulrich Ogiermann said: “The ‘Three Rs’ approach - which stands for rates, reliability and relationship - is at the very heart of our business. We are grateful and thankful to our customers who place their trust in our brand and services. Having started off with three freighters in 2003, we have come a long way to reach the number three position on IATA’s international FTK (freight tonne kilometres) ranking today. This award goes out to each and every employee at Qatar Airways Cargo, who strives to ensure we live up to our ‘customer first and service excellence’ motto.”

“Congratulations to Qatar Airways Cargo on this well-deserved win. This victory is testimony to the cargo carrier’s continuous drive and emphasis on delivering the highest levels of service within the air cargo industry,” said Mr. R.K. Patra, Chairman and Founder of STAT Media Group.

Qatar Airways Cargo has invested substantially in automating its systems and processes with the rollout of its Cargo Reservations, Operations, Accounting and Management Information System (CROAMIS) to enhance efficiency in its end-to-end business processes. The carrier also launched its first mobile app, QR Cargo, which is linked to CROAMIS, to provide ease and convenience to its global customers, enabling instant access to real-time data and updates for each logistic milestone achieved, while the introduction of web-based online services encourages customers to manage their bookings and businesses online with Qatar Airways Cargo.

The state-of-the-art hub at Hamad International Airport (HIA) in Doha that opened in 2014 has a capacity to handle 1.4 million tonnes of cargo annually. The 292,000 square metres cargo complex area has separate areas for pharmaceuticals, perishables, dangerous goods, valuables also includes a 4,200 square metres live animal facility. The airline is currently planning the construction of a second, even larger cargo terminal at its Doha hub. The new 110,000 square metres double decker facility provides the capacity to handle three million tonnes of cargo a year, increasing the combined annual capacity to 4.4 million tonnes. The new terminal plan underlines Qatar Airways Cargo’s commitment to continued growth and expansion for the future, positioning the cargo carrier into another league through the enhancement of service quality already offered at the existing state-of-the-art facility.