Qatar Airways Cargo, a leading international cargo carrier, has launched a new freighter services to New York (US) and Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada), adding to its rapidly growing network of 54 dedicated cargo routes.

Services to New York and Halifax are scheduled with a frequency of one flight per week every Wednesday from Luxembourg, its new European hub, operated with a Boeing 777-200 freighter that offers 103 tonnes of cargo capacity, added the Peninsula Qatar report.

In addition to regular cargo goods, these new flights will allow Qatar Airways Cargo to facilitate the transport of lobster and seafood, major exports from both cities, to Europe, the Middle East, South and North East Asia via Doha, it said.

The new cargo service complements the existing belly-hold cargo on the airline’s commercial flights, which recently doubled. Increasing passenger demand to America’s financial centre, New York prompted Qatar Airways to add a second daily service with an Airbus A350 XWB to the city from March 1 this year.

The airline has served the city daily since the initial route launch in 2007 with a Boeing 777 aircraft. The double-daily passenger flights to New York currently offer 125 tonnes of belly-hold cargo capacity each week.

The commencement of a service to Halifax will increase Qatar Airways’ presence in Canada, creating jobs in its cargo operations in Halifax.

The airline also operates three passenger flights weekly from Montreal to Hamad International Airport (HIA), its state-of- the-art hub in Qatar and has offices in Montreal (Quebec) and Toronto (Ontario), added the report.