Qatar Airways Hosts IATA Air Cargo Conference in Doha

Doha , March 12 (QNA) - The Seventh International Conference on Air Cargo organized by IATA started in Doha on Tuesday . The three-day event is hosted by Qatar Airways. More than a 1000 specialists in the field are taking part in the conference. The conference this year will discuss the role the Middle-East plays in the cargo industry. The specialists will also address the biggest challenges facing and opportunities available in the Air cargo industry. HE Minister of Economy and Finance Youssef Hussein Kamal said that the timing of the conference came as the country was set to start operating the Hamad International Airport which will make Doha one of the biggest regional logistical spots in the world. In his opening address , HE the Minister said that the conference presented the best platform to discuss the challenges and the opportunities facing the air cargo industry. HE the Minister said that Qatar's population increase and growth in infra-structural projects will no doubt increase the demand for air cargo services. This will also boost Qatar's status as an important logistical destination in the world, HE the Minister added. He Youssef Hussein Kamal also stressed that the Qatari government understands the importance of the aviation sector in achieving sustainable development. He noted that the projects conducted by the state in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 enable the aviation sector to operate economically. For his part CEO of Qatar Airways Akbar Al Baker said that the conference looks to place strategies that would guarantee the prosperity of the cargo sector in the future, particularly due to the challenges that continue to face the sector. He expressed his hope that 2013 will be a new beginning for Qatar Airways Cargo. Al Baker revealed that April 8, 2013 will see the inauguration of a new cargo complex at the Hamad International Airport. The new complex has an area of 55000 square meters, three times the area of the current cargo complexes. It has enough capacity to store 1.4 million tons of cargo annually. It is ntoed that Qatar Airways Cargo covers all of the 125 destinations covered by Qatar Airways. (QNA)