Qatar to start first U.S. freighter service

Qatar to start first U.S. freighter service    Qatar Airways Cargo said Monday it will begin scheduled freighter services to Chicago, its first dedicated freighter operation to the United States.
   The twice-weekly service will begin Aug. 18, using Qatar's new Boeing 777 freighters and will connect from the airline's hub in Doha via Amsterdam. Payloads on the new services will be up to 100 tons per flight and are expected to include freight items such as machinery, textiles, auto parts, fruit and vegetables and general cargo, the airline said.
   Qatar has recently started freighter operations to Hong Kong, Mumbai, Cairo, Kolkata and Riyadh, with increases in frequency also planned. The airline's services to Hong Kong will be boosted to five times a week from Aug. 16, from the initial three weekly flights that began two months ago.
   The airline said it is midway through an expansion drive that includes opening 13 new routes over a 12-month period. Seven new routes have been launched since February: Bangalore, Copenhagen, Ankara, Tokyo, Barcelona, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires. Six further routes — to Phuket, Hanoi, Nice, Bucharest, Budapest and Brussels — will be added over a four-month period from October.