Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International) is suspending the 21-nautical mile (38-kilometre) flight it started operating between Maastricht, in The Netherlands, and Liège, in Belgium, less than a month ago, according to a report on the nltimes website.
With a flight time of around nine minutes, the carrier had been trying to satisfy the needs of one specific client that required its goods to be offloaded at the Dutch airport.
Under its original plan, flight QR8173 left the airline's Doha Hamad International base and flew direct to Maastricht. After unloading its freight, the B777-F then hopped to Liege, before continuing onto México City International and finally to Los Angeles International. However, according to Flightradar24 ADS-B data, the flight between Maastricht and Liege was operated on November 10, but the service planned a week later on November 17 flew direct from Doha to Liège, with no stop in The Netherlands.
Dutch Infrastructure Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen said she wants the government to ban such short cargo flights. Dutch MPs are currently considering whether to ban all air traffic on distances less than 54 nautical miles (100 kilometres) over land.
The cargo arm of the Gulf carrier told politicians in Belgium it will no longer make such short journeys, according to news broadcaster NOS.
