Qatar
offers a broad canvas about which to write, from its
remarkable journey as an advanced, ancient culture to
serving as an outpost of the developing global world
to arriving center stage as one of the fastest growing,
most dynamic cities on the planet.
The best way to take the
pulse of Doha Cargo and the city it inhabits is to take
a walk and talk to the people.
Earlier this week we spent
a few hours inside the mammoth QR transfer handling
facility at Hamad International Airport.
Opened
in June 2014, the Hamad facility is the name of the
game for an avalanche of air shippers. A powerful, sinewed
machine, it ingests and disgorges the offerings of combi
aircraft and an ever-expanding fleet of freighters laden
with cargo arriving from and departing to destinations
around the world.
The numbers on the CTF
are notable: cargo capacity of 1.4 million tonnes per
year; 5,000 cages for loose cargo; 1,005 main deck ULD
units including 64 temperature-controlled positions
for refrigerated units; 20 hoists and 22 landside to
airside vehicles; three different offerings for cargo
clearance; 44 buildup work stations and more.
The ballet is never ending,
and from the look of things the action in the Hamad
International Airport cargo area will only get more
intense as time marches on.
Someone once said, “Looking
at a cargo terminal is like watching a burlesque show—if
you’ve seen one, you’ve seen ‘em all.”
One looks around this
giant place in search of the ordinary, but even the
everyday is extraordinary.
Banks of computers and advanced IT systems follow every
bit of cargo, punctuated by security scanners, special
positions, chilled rooms for Flowers and Pharma, and
grand stables for horse shipments.
Yes, the Lodige System
that handles the freight is brand new, with all the
bells and whistles of advanced technology.
To be sure, the modern
fleet of refrigerated trucks that meet consignments
on the ramp are impressive.
But the most important
element—the one you can find in every place like
this—quickly emerges.
From the front door to the back, it is the 700 plus
people who populate the Hamad facility 24-7 on 12-hour
shifts that make the difference.
We
met Cargo Hub Operations Manager Serge Elkhoueiry (in
photo, left).
We also met Manager Cargo
Logistics & Government Relations Camille Dirani
(in photo, right). Of all the components that make this
cargo mega-facility run, they are inarguably the most
vital.
Both are originally from
Lebanon and instantly bring to mind a time four decades
ago, during the early days of Middle East cargo. It
was a time when Beirut-based MEA (Middle East Airlines)
and TMA Cargo (Trans Mediterranean Airlines) were the
world class, pioneering airlines of the region.
Serge says he arrived
in Doha coming from the big American Airlines Cargo
hub in Dallas and was in search of “the challenge,
the experience, and the excitement of a lifetime.”
In short, he wanted to be part of something new and
gigantic.
Camille says he has been
on the scene since he worked as lead ramp supervisor
for Doha Travel Agency, which used to handle all the
cargo here.
This was when Qatar aviation
was part of Gulf Air, back when beloved L-1011s populated
the ramps.
As we tour this new cargo
wonder-world, walking out to the steaming ramp and a
waiting B777-200F, the writer and the old cargo pro
take a moment to look at each other, smile, each relishing
the past while also embracing today, and tomorrow, and
soon we’re back inside the supple air conditioned
interior of the CTF.
Serge walks with us and
points out all the details, from the control room upstairs
where operators monitor and direct all the movement
in the building, checking and rechecking various functions
of the CTF, to the cool rooms and the build up area.
“We
take nothing for granted; our mission is to be the best
in the world and quite frankly nothing can stop us now.”
Serge says his confidence
is boosted every time Qatar CEO Aker Al Baker shows
up and walks the place, checking things out.
“The Chief is quite
knowledgeable and connected to the air cargo business.
“He knows what is
important, asks the right questions, and wants to know
if we need anything.
“The Chief challenges,
but he also inspires,” Serge says.
Inside the big B777, Serge
gazes across the tube of the giant about to be filled
end to end, and assures:
“My top priority
is to maintain the service and quality for our customers
and become one of the top carriers in the world.”
Geoffrey
