Showered by the spray from a water cannon salute, the first Qatar Airways cargo jet to land at Huntsville International Airport (HSV) marked the inauguration of the Gateway Star route linking Mexico to the Middle East. The Boeing 777 arrived in Huntsville from Mexico City at the DSV facility in the airport International Intermodal Center (IIC) bound for Luxembourg with a final destination of Doha.
The Gateway Star route will fly twice weekly, and the venture is a collaboration between DSV, which is responsible for cargo loading and management, and Qatar Airways, responsible for providing the fleet.
“Huntsville will not only be DSV’s North American hub linking Mexico City and Doha, Qatar, via Luxembourg, this opportunity will facilitate swift, efficient cargo movement to the Middle East and beyond,” said Butch Roberts, Port of Huntsville CEO.
Roberts added that the new route through HSV will further open these markets up to the world.
“Our International Intermodal Center’s reputation as a convenient, economical choice to do global business is contributing significantly to this new venture’s success,“ he said.
The IIC at Huntsville International Airport is ranked as the 21st largest international air cargo airport in the continental U.S.
“We at the Port of Huntsville congratulate our partner DSV on this important new global service with Qatar Airways,” said Trey Bentley, Port of Huntsville Board Chair. “We are proud that our International intermodal Center and air cargo operations in particular are renowned for efficiency, economy and effectiveness that global business finds what we have here so attractive. “
The Gateway Star route marks Qatar Airways Cargo’s first entry into Alabama airspace. The possibilities for expanding into markets beyond the Middle East to India and Africa are part of the vision for the international cargo service.
"Our partnership with Qatar Airways Cargo signifies a remarkable leap forward,” said Mads Ravn, Executive Vice President at DSV. “This new air freight service underscores our unwavering commitment to revolutionizing logistics and ushering unparalleled connectivity to our valued clients. By collaborating with Qatar Airways Cargo, we not only extend our market presence but also create avenues for seamless access to the Middle East with a keen focus on boosting our Oil and Gas vertical."
“We are excited by this new partnership with DSV,” said Elisabeth Oudkerk, SVP Cargo Sales and Network Planning at Qatar Airways Cargo. “This strategic initiative not only expands DSV’s market reach, but also establishes a direct scheduled service between Huntsville to the Middle East and beyond.” Bentley added, “when we invested more than $229 million over the past years in building a world-class infrastructure at Huntsville International Airport to support air cargo activities, projects like this are what we hoped for.”
