The horses were from all over Europe, and the airline transported for prestigious events happening in quick succession.
The events were the Amir Sword Festival in Doha from 17-19 February, the Saudi Cup in Riyadh from 25-26 February, the Commercial Bank CHI AL SHAQAB presented by Longines in Doha from 24-26 February, and the Longines Global Champions Tour in Doha from 3-5 March.
Qatar Airways Cargo coordinates the transport with specialised horse agents and the thoroughbreds travel via the Horse Inn at Liege Airport.
Three horse charters flew from Liege to Doha, two on 19 February and one on 20 February.
The Saudi Cup was more complex due to arranging a double pick-up from the USA between 14-16 February.
First, Qatar Airways flew to Los Angeles to pick up four horses, then to Miami to collect another eight for a flight to Riyadh.
On 18 February, 14 horses were flown from Osaka, Japan to Riyadh to also take part in the Saudi Cup.
Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways says: “We take great pains to ensure that the animals entrusted to our care have as stress-free a journey as possible, naturally in line with all animal transport regulations. Alongside state-of-the-art horse stalls, and seats for the grooms on board our freighters, we also ensure that the distance to the aircraft from the airport animal facility, as well as the waiting times are as short as possible.”
He adds: “Racehorses often have a very high value, and they are shipped three to seven days prior to the event in order to be at peak fitness on the race day. We are well versed in dealing with this precious cargo.”
All the horses were safely returned to their countries with three charter flights from Doha to Liege on 28 February, 6 and 7 March, respectively.