Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International) is deepening its presence in China with additional flights and a logistics partnership as it bets on growing cargo demand in the region, according to CCO Thierry Antinori.
In an interview on Bloomberg TV on the sidelines of the Goldman Sachs Asia Leaders Conference in Hong Kong on September 4, he announced that Qatar Airways will add a second daily service between Doha Hamad International and Shanghai Pudong this IATA winter, after receiving extra traffic rights.
In addition, he said, Qatar Airways expects to formalise a new strategic partnership with Chinese logistics giant Cainiao to strengthen logistics links between southern China, Europe, and Latin America.
He said Qatar Airways already serves six Chinese cities and operates 37 weekly cargo flights to Hong Kong International and nine to Macau International. "We are the second-largest cargo airline in the Greater Bay Area," Antinori said. "China, as the largest economy in Asia, is of utmost importance to us." Overall, he added, Qatar Airways operates to 90 destinations in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.
Cargo demand remains "more volatile" than passenger traffic, Antinori said, but Qatar Airways is managing the outlook with its 28 dedicated freighters and flexible deployment strategy.
According to ch-aviation data, the airline's current cargo fleet totals twenty-eight B777-200Fs, with thirty-four B777-8Fs on order.
Antinori said Qatar Airways’ China growth plans are in line with the airline's Vision 2030 economic strategy and the carrier’s global expansion. The airline recently received Australian antitrust approval for its 25% stake in Virgin Australia, following a similar investment in 2024 in Airlink (South Africa) to reinforce its network across Asia, Africa, and Oceania.
