Cargolux set for a fight as Qatar plans significant increase in Luxembourg flights

Cargoforwarder has done a good follow-up to the news from Air Cargo China that Qatar Airways Cargo is planning 18 flights a week into Luxembourg. It’s a move that has put Cargolux onto the back foot. The pair have a complex relationship. Qatar owned a 35% share in Cargolux, which it sold to the Luxembourg government at the start of 2013, after a strategic spat. Qatar, which has major investments in Luxembourg, has negotiated fifth freedom rights for its carrier at the European hub, and this is likely to bite hard into Cargolux’s market – especially as a union leader claims Qatar is undercutting the Luxembourg carrier by 75%. Don’t forget too, that Qatar’s cargo arm is managed by Uli Ogiermann, former CEO of Cargolux, who will know better than anyone how to outsmart his former employer. Expect a bitter battle.