Qatar Airways Cargo is strengthening global trade connections by expanding its capacity to and from Australia through its new Virgin Australia partnership. Qatar Airways Cargo currently offers more than 240 tonnes of belly cargo capacity each way each week into Australia to key cities Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. With the addition of these Virgin Australia flights, total cargo capacity will increase to more than 400 tonnes each way, each week.
Starting June 2025 Virgin Australia will operate daily Boeing 777 flights between Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, and Doha. With 129 tonnes of cargo capacity each way between Doha and Perth, 30 tonnes each way for Brisbane and 21 tonnes each way for Sydney, these widebody belly-hold services will bring substantial uplift potential. Effective December 2025, Virgin Australia will add daily Boeing 777 flights from Melbourne with Qatar Airways.
Mark Drusch, Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways Cargo said: “Australia plays a pivotal role in global trade, and it is essential for us to empower its exporters with the best possible connectivity. Our proven expertise in safeguarding sensitive shipments such as perishables and pharmaceuticals positions us as the trusted partner for Australia’s trade ambitions. This partnership with Virgin Australia significantly increases capacity available to Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne — a major improvement in global cargo capacity for exporters.”
“With these new services, we are responding decisively to long-standing market demands,” Drusch adds. “The addition of Virgin Australia’s Boeing 777s more than doubles the airfreight capacity on key routes. It is a bold move, reinforcing Qatar Airways Cargo’s leadership in connecting Australia’s economy to the world’s most dynamic markets.”
Dimitris Politis, Head of Cargo at Virgin Australia added: “We’re thrilled to partner with Qatar Airways Cargo, combining our strong domestic network with their global reach. This collaboration delivers significant new capacity for Australian exporters and strengthens our ability to connect Australian businesses with international markets.”
With two-way trade between Qatar and Australia surpassing AUD 3.4 billion (QR 8 billion) annually, Qatar ranks among Australia’s top trading partners in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Cargo iQ onboards Saudi Arabia’s logistics service provider SAL
Cargo iQ’s membership has been bolstered by the addition of Saudi Arabinan logistics and supply chain service provider SAL, which has joined as a full member The addition is in line with Cargo iQs ambition to grow their membership base, welcoming members from across the supply chain to further improve the quality of the air cargo process.
“As handlers of 95% of Saudi Arabia’s inbound and outbound cargo, and drivers of quality and efficiency, SAL is an important addition to the Cargo iQ membership,” said Marie Seco-Köppen, Executive Director, Cargo iQ. “Its ambitious plans to achieve better coordination, visibility, resource optimisation, and rapid information exchange, will also enable industry stakeholders working with it to improve process quality.”
SAL is working with Cargo iQ to create their membership roadmap, and has implemented the milestones Freight Into Warehouse (FIW) and Freight Out of Warehouse (FOW), which help to improve transparency of warehouse processes and will bring more clarity to the SLA performance exchanges with the airlines. SAL has reached a significant operational milestone with the successful implementation of the FIW and FOW processes in compliance with CIQ standards. This advancement strengthens transparency and streamlines operations, reinforcing SAL’s commitment to delivering superior logistics solutions for its customers.
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