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Asif Iqbal
Doha
The freight forwarding firms in the country are hopeful of a solid growth this year and are expecting a double digit growth in their businesses, thanks to the increased cargo capacity at the Hamad International Airport (HIA).
Spanning more than 290,000 square metres, the billion-dollar Qatar Cargo Complex at Hamad International Airport (HIA) can handle 1.4 million tonnes of cargo annually. This is more than triple the capacity of the previous facility.
Comprising seven facilities, the complex houses one of the largest cargo terminal buildings in the world. The air cargo handling system is capable of accommodating 1,005 Unit Load Devices (ULD) and 5,286 consignment cages.
"Last year the business was good and we had good volumes of cargo sent to different parts of the world; we expect the same in 2017 as well," Shaji, sales manager of Cargo Net told Qatar Tribune.
While some other businesses in the country might have seen a slowdown in 2016, Shaji said the cargo business had fared well. He said the cargo business was an all-season trade, though the volumes increase ahead of some festivals.
"During the months of November and December, we receive a lot of cargo to the Philippines as many Filipino expatriates send gifts back home during the period.
"As a matter of fact, the Filipinos are among those who send the highest volume of cargo," Shaji said, adding that Indians, too, send huge volumes of cargo.
On the 2017 growth prospects, Shaji said he was confident that the industry could easily register double digit growth as people would still continue to send cargo. He said unlike before, the HIA can handle a much bigger volume of cargoes and there is not much backlog.
A sales representative of Kabayan Cargo said many expatriates send bulk cargo ahead of their vacations as they do not want to have any excess baggage at the time of their travel.
"Our cargo services offer door-to-door delivery and our very competitive rates help us generate very good business."
Meanwhile, Pigeon Cargo supervisor Shafique Ahmad said the new HIA had a key role to play in Qatar's rapidly expanding air freight sector. HIA is benefitting from Qatar Airways, and its freight-handling wing Qatar Airways Cargo (QAC), as the airline has played a significant role in growing air freight volumes at its facility at the Doha International airport.
