Teleport, which describes itself as a South-east Asian ecommerce logistics specialist, plans to establish a hub in Bahrain despite the uncertainties created in the region by the military conflict.
At a recent air cargo conference, Teleport’s chief business officer, Jan Philipp Poeter, said the Middle East remained an emerging e-commerce market.
“So, there is a purpose for moving things into the region, and it is a jumping board both for freight operators and some of the world’s largest passenger airlines that fly in and out of that region. So, for us, it is important to build a hub,” he explained.
Teleport had also been encouraged by support from the Bahrain government, Mr Poeter noted. Bahrain Airport re-opened at the end of last month having been a target for Iranian missiles and drones.
“I’ve been speaking to our colleagues, especially from the government in Bahrain, throughout the crisis. I think they are still optimistic about the future, and are still very hungry to go forward with this. So we are ready to go.”
However, he did not elaborate on the timeframe for setting up the hub in Bahrain.
Along with low-cost airline, AirAsia, Teleport is a subsidiary of Capital A, a Kuala Lumpur-based investment firm, which, last autumn signed a letter of intent with the Bahrain authorities to evaluate the state as a potential hub for its Middle East operations.
Teleport, which started out as a consolidator of AirAsia’s belly cargo capacity, now has a fleet of three leased A321-200P2Fs and expanded its network in the Middle East in Q2 25, following a deal with Emirates SkyCargo to access each other’s freighter capacity.
In January, Teleport announced it had raised $50m in “pre-IPO growth capital” to allow it “to strengthen its balance sheet and fund network growth with its key partner airlines, ahead of a future public listing”. In addition to Emirates, Teleport has deals with Etihad Cargo, Turkish Cargo, Vietjet Air Cargo and SF Airlines.
Meanwhile, DHL has resumed daily flights to and from Bahrain Airport, which, under normal circumstances, serves as its air hub in the Gulf. A spokesperson told The Loadstar: “We remain in a transitionary phase, with operations being adjusted gradually based on regional conditions.
“We have started the process of relocating our aircraft to Bahrain as we begin to return to some of our previous schedules.”
The improving picture for air freight in the Gulf region is also illustrated by Qatar Airways Cargo increasing freighter destinations to more than 60 from 1 May, while the airline’s passenger/belly-hold network will continue its expansion to more than 150 destinations from 16 June.
The Doha-based carrier will introduce a weekly B777F service to Baghdad on 7 May and twice-weekly passenger flights to the Iraqi capital from 10 May.
