Saudia Cargo records solid growth in e-commerce shipments

PHOTO

Saudia Cargo, one of the world's most dynamic cargo carriers, has achieved significant growth in e-commerce shipments this year, mainly due to the success of its cooperation agreement with Cainiao Network, the logistics arm of Alibaba Group, last year.

Saudia Cargo said the agreement created a thriving "sky bridge" between Asia and Europe, allowing Saudia Cargo to benefit from the opportunities arising from the growing global e-commerce market, said the company in a statement.

Saudia Cargo pointed out that it had increased the number of cargo flights it operates to destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America over the past few years to ensure that it continues to meet rising demand for e-commerce and deliver on Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030" strategy for growth.

Cainiao joined Saudia Cargo's flight program in March 2021, linking Hong Kong SAR to Liege Belgium, via Saudia Cargo's Riyadh hub, with 12 flights operated per week.

The freighter flight enables Riyadh to become the model of an effective distribution hub in the Middle East thanks to the strong partnerships that the company has forged with local players, it stated.

Saudia Cargo's Regional Director (Asia Pacific) Vikram Vohra said: "The agreement has allowed us to benefit from access to Alibaba's e-commerce platform as online shopping continues to soar, boosted in part by the Covid-19 pandemic."

"The partnership with Cainiao, which offers logistic services to more than 200 countries, is central to our growth strategy for this decade and sets the template for future cooperation agreements. Cainiao has become a trusted and valued partner," he noted.

Dandy Zhang, Commercial Director of Global Line Haul, Cainiao's Cross-border business: "As a global smart logistics company, Cainiao has been consistently enhancing its logistics services and efficiency to satisfy the booming demand for e-commerce in Europe and Middle East. Our partnership with Saudia Cargo has been fruitful, and we look forward to strengthening our cooperation in the long term."

"The company has increased its haulage capacity from last year, adding and only improving its space and tonnage capacity to haul e-commerce goods on different routes, that are cared for by highly trained personnel who ensure the safest delivery. The number of flights from the Hong Kong market grew by over 30% alone," he added.