Reflecting on the operation, Mr. Dexter Fonseca, Global Head of Air Freight, said, “At the time, our direct-flight options were very limited. Qatar Airways was the only carrier who could operate with freighters due to airspace restrictions for foreign airlines but their aircraft could not accept the cargo.

So, we had to think differently. Together with our teams in Qatar, Spain, and the UAE, we built a multimodal solution that combined trucking from the shipper to Amsterdam covering 1,500 kms, uplift on a part-charter B747F freighter from our partner airline Emirates, with nose-door capability into Dubai World Central, and onward trucking from the UAE to Qatar.

It may sound like the solution was already there when I explain it now, but in reality, it took a lot of technical assessment, coordination, and ownership from everyone involved to make sure the shipment moved safely and on time. I am very proud of the teams who rose to the occasion and made this solution a success.”