Coyne Airways is stepping up its cargo services to Afghanistan with the introduction of a weekly Boeing 747-400 freighter service from Dubai to Bagram.

The Tuesday service commenced on September 14th and is supplemented by an IL-76 freighter operation every Friday.

Coyne has been a leading provider of neutral air cargo services to Afghanistan since 2006 and to Iraq since 2004. Since then, it has completed over 2,000 freighter flights and ensured the secure delivery of 55 million kilos of cargo.

Larry Coyne, CEO of Coyne Airways, said: 'We are well established now as a reliable provider of secure air cargo services to both Afghanistan and Iraq. As well as increasing available capacity, the introduction of the Boeing 747-400F to Bagram provides us with the additional operating and cost efficiencies we require to remain highly competitive in the market. We hope to increase the service to twice-weekly within six months.

'Our ability to deliver cargo to Afghanistan and Iraq from anywhere in the world on a single air waybill, using leading interline partners feeding into our Dubai hub, is a reliable link that now forms a vital part of the supply chains of major corporations and organisations in the United States, Europe and other countries. Our customers are businesses that need complete peace of mind when they are transporting often high value and time sensitive cargoes into the region.'

In Afghanistan, Coyne Airways serves Kabul, Kandahar and Camp Bastion as well as Bagram. 'Coyne also provides safe transport services to other cities, military camps and forward operating bases in Afghanistan including Heart, Mazar-e Sharif, Camp Leatherneck, Jalalabad and Sharana. 'In Iraq Coyne offers freighter services to Baghdad, Balad, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, and can arrange onward transportation to other destinations such as Basra, Mosul, Tikrit and Kirkuk.