MASKARGO EYES CAPACITY INCREASE THROUGH PARTNERSHIP WITH QATAR AIRWAYS CARGO

By Danni Haizal Danial Donald

SEPANG, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- MAB Kargo Sdn Bhd (MASkargo) plans to increase its cargo capacity by leveraging its strategic partnership with Qatar Airways Cargo.

Its chief executive officer Mark Jason Thomas said since the commencement of the partnership on Oct 1, 2024, MASkargo has already seen remarkable progress, with about 2,500 tonnes of cargo transported, including critical commodities such as perishables and pharmaceuticals. 

“We see some incremental growth for us. As of now, we have seen about a 30 per cent increase in our transhipment loads which boosted our overall performance,” he told Bernama on the sidelines of the MASkargo and Qatar Airways Cargo partnership launch here today.

He said the company aspires to induce more capacity into Kuala Lumpur as the regional hub and plans to have better reach and connectivity in Europe.

"We are in a deep partnership with Qatar Airways.  Currently, the partnership has unlocked key gateways in Europe, especially Frankfurt, Malpensa and Amsterdam. So this partnership doesn't end here as we are looking at a broader and wider scope and also reach into Qatar Airways network," he added.

On a regional note, Mark said the company plans to expand its market share and networks to provide seamless connectivity for its customers.

"Over the years, we have seen our market share in the regional market increase in line with our capacity growth and we look forward to increasing our capacity to gain a better market share.  ASEAN has always been our key market as it has a lot of capacity. We look forward to supporting the industries in ASEAN, and through this partnership, it will enable us to do all that," he said. 

Qatar Airways Cargo chief officer of cargo Mark Drusch said the partnership enables the global air cargo carrier to grow and provide more competition in the market. 

"When you bring these two networks together, we open up markets that are not available or not easily accessible today. Qatar Airways Cargo is committed to not only upholding the current standards of excellence within the industry but developing even better standards for the industry in conjunction with our partners," he said in his speech today.

In July 2024, Qatar Airways Cargo and MASkargo signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to deliver an enhanced product offering to cargo customers and achieve operational synergies. 

According to MASkargo, the strategic joint cargo business agreement allows both airlines to leverage each other's network strengths and fleet capacity, significantly increasing cargo offerings.

-- BERNAMA