Pittsburgh International Airport’s cargo business is getting a boost thanks to a commitment from a Sri Lankan company that’s shipping its goods with Qatar Airways Cargo, the Allegheny County Airport Authority announced Wednesday.
The company, EFL, is making the airport a cargo distribution point using Qatar Airways.
EFL is using one of Qatar’s two weekly Boeing 777 freighters into Pittsburgh for its cargo. The company’s first 90-ton shipment started in May, the authority said.
“This is cargo that used to enter into the U.S. through major airports such as New York and Chicago but instead they’re choosing to use our region as a gateway,” airport authority CEO Christina Cassotis said. “That means jobs and business for our region.”
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said Qatar Airway’s success in adding EFL as a customer strengthens the airport’s ability to attract similar business in the future.
The Doha-to-Pittsburgh route Qatar used gives customers in Asia a 72-hour transit time from that region to distribution centers in the U.S., and Pittsburgh’s location is ideal for it, the authority said.
Qatar Airways Cargo began its Pittsburgh flights in October 2017. It is the first scheduled international cargo route for the airport, the authority said.
“Pittsburgh is a logical location for this operation as it allows us to have a fast turnover of cargo in comparison to more traditional and congested gateways,” EFL Group CEO Senthil Shanmugam said in a statement.
