Friday, October 23, 2026
The news that moves freight
Ocean Oct 23, 2026 · 6 min read

Qatar Airways Cargo joins Pelicargo

Both big Gulf cargo airlines are now bookable from a US ZIP code. Qatar Airways Cargo has put its capacity on Pelicargo, a US platform where forwarders quote and book air freight. That follows Emirates SkyCargo in May. Our view: this is about winning back US share after a hard spring, not about technology. In late March, Doha’s outbound cargo capacity was 77% below a year earlier, according to Aevean data. Pelicargo passed 500 registered forwarders in April, Air Cargo Week reported. No volumes or fees were disclosed. Our call: a third Gulf carrier, such as Etihad Cargo or Saudia Cargo, joins Pelicargo by the end of March 2027.

After a spring that cut Doha’s capacity by 77%, Qatar Cargo goes looking for US forwarders where they book

Qatar Airways Cargo has put its capacity on Pelicargo, a US platform that forwarders use to quote and book air freight. AJOT reported the deal on 21 October and Air Cargo News on 22 October. Forwarders on Pelicargo now get live capacity and booking across Qatar’s network. They can quote from any US origin ZIP code, with trucking to the airport priced into the same quote.

It follows Emirates SkyCargo, which joined Pelicargo in May. So the two largest Gulf cargo airlines can now be compared side by side on one US platform. Neither Qatar nor Pelicargo disclosed volumes, fees or a target number of bookings.

What we think it means

Our view: this is a sales story dressed up as a technology story. Gulf carriers had a brutal spring. Capacity out of Doha and Dubai collapsed and then came back only partly. To fill rebuilt capacity, they need US forwarders to route cargo through the Gulf again. The fastest way to reach thousands of small and mid-sized forwarders is to sit inside the tools those forwarders already open every morning.

That matters more to Qatar than it might seem. Big forwarders have account managers and contract rates. Small ones often do not. If a 20-person forwarder in Ohio cannot get a fast quote from a carrier, it books someone else. A marketplace closes that gap without the carrier adding sales staff.

We also think the ZIP-code quote is the part that counts. Most air freight is still priced airport to airport. The shipper, though, cares about the price from their dock. A platform that adds the truck to the airport (the “first mile”) into the same quote gives a smaller forwarder an answer it can send to its customer straight away.

The spring that set this up

The numbers from earlier this year explain the urgency. In the week to 30 March, outbound cargo capacity at Doha’s Hamad International was down 37,000 tonnes on a year earlier, “a drop of 77%”, according to Aevean data reported by Cargo Newswire. In the same analysis, Dubai International was down 24,000 tonnes, or 57%. Dubai’s Al Maktoum airport was down 59%. Abu Dhabi was the exception, down just 3%.

Aevean’s head of consulting, Maarten Wormer, put it bluntly: “Airports across the Middle East account for the largest capacity shifts seen anywhere in the world.” The same report said Qatar had started bringing freighter services back gradually from late March, to Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.

By mid-April, recovery was under way but incomplete. Air Cargo Week, citing Aevean’s dashboard, reported that international capacity from selected Gulf airports had rebuilt to about 9,000 to 11,000 tonnes, against roughly 18,000 to 22,000 tonnes before the disruption. It said levels “remain well below pre-disruption trends”. The same piece cited WorldACD, a market data firm, saying air cargo capacity to the Middle East had dropped more than 50% year on year.

Those figures are from the spring, and the picture has moved since. But they show why Gulf carriers spent the summer hunting for demand. A carrier that loses half its regional capacity loses its customers’ habits too. Getting them back takes more than reopening routes.

Emirates went first, and wider

Emirates did not stop at Pelicargo. When it joined in May, FBJ reported that Pelicargo was its fourth digital marketplace, after cargo.one, CargoAi and WebCargo. FBJ also reported Emirates’ observation that US customers had increasingly switched to digital channels over the previous 12 months, including its own eSkyCargo booking site and third-party marketplaces. No percentage was given.

Emirates put five core products on Pelicargo, including its Fresh service for perishables, Pharma for temperature-controlled shipments, and Airfreight Priority for urgent cargo, according to FBJ.

Qatar has now matched Emirates on this platform. Our reading: the two rivals are watching each other’s US distribution closely. When one opens a channel, the other follows within months. That is the pattern to watch for the rest of the region.

What Pelicargo brings, and what it does not

Pelicargo is a US company that sells itself on quoting by origin and destination rather than by airport pair. In April, Air Cargo Week reported the platform had passed 500 registered freight forwarders. It said Pelicargo is “supported by a network of more than 2,000 domestic trucking partners, providing coverage into major airport gateways.” That came as Air Canada Cargo joined.

Pelicargo co-founder Sean Angata said: “Qatar Airways Cargo operates one of the most strategically connected networks in the world.” He added: “Today’s freight forwarders need speed, visibility, and flexibility when securing capacity across multiple regions.” Through the platform, he said, forwarders can get quotes “from any U.S. origin to destinations worldwide”, according to AJOT.

Some caution is due. Five hundred registered forwarders is not five hundred active ones. Neither company has said how much Qatar capacity will be offered through the platform, at what prices, or whether the best rates stay with direct contracts. A carrier can list on a marketplace and still keep its sharpest prices for its biggest accounts. Until volumes are published, nobody outside the two companies can say how much cargo this will move.

What forwarders should do with it

For US forwarders, the practical effect is more choice in one place. Here is how we would use it.

First, compare all-in prices. A ZIP-code quote bundles the truck and the flight. That is useful, but check the trucking leg against your own carriers before assuming it is cheaper.

Second, watch the lanes where Doha and Dubai compete hardest. That means the US to India, the Middle East, East Africa and parts of South Asia, where both airlines connect through their hubs. With both carriers on the same screen, price gaps between them should become easier to spot and harder for either airline to hold.

Third, do not drop direct relationships. Marketplaces are good for spot cargo (one-off shipments booked at the current market price). For regular volumes, a direct contract with a carrier often still gives better space guarantees when capacity is tight.

Fourth, ask about rebooking. The spring showed how fast Gulf capacity can disappear. Before you lean on any booking channel for Gulf routings, find out how it handles cancellations and rebooking when a hub closes or flights are cut.

For shippers, the change is quieter. More forwarders, including small ones, can now quote Qatar and Emirates without special access. That should mean a few more competing quotes on Gulf-routed shipments out of the US.

Our call

Our prediction: a third Gulf carrier, such as Etihad Cargo or Saudia Cargo, will announce it is on Pelicargo by the end of March 2027. The two biggest Gulf names are now there, and the region’s carriers have spent this year chasing back the US demand they lost in the spring. We think the others will not want to be missing from a screen where their two largest rivals sit side by side.

Sources