Qatar Airways Cargo has welcomed the seventh A330F and first B747F nose loader aircraft to its fleet at its home base in Hamad International Airport, Doha. The B747F nose loading freighter  replaces a B747-400BCF which the carrier took on a temporary basis until the current B747F  became available.

Continuing on its trajectory of rapid growth and expansion, the world’s third largest international cargo carrier now features a fleet of 16 freighters including seven A330F, eight B777F and one B747F.

Qatar Airways Cargo is scheduled to receive further aircraft next year and is expected to expand its fleet to a total of 21 freighters by 2017, demonstrating what it said was its “unwavering commitment to developing one of the strongest air cargo fleets in the skies.”

“We are delighted to welcome the seventh Airbus A330F and our first Boeing 747F nose loader to our growing freighter fleet,” said Ulrich Ogiermann, Qatar Airways chief officer cargo. “The arrival of this new aircraft brings our total fleet up to 16 freighters and is an important addition to the airline at a time when we are experiencing unprecedented growth. Increasing our capacity in tandem with increasing our network reach is an essential part of our strategy for the coming years and we expect to have a total of 21 freighters in our fleet by 2017.”