Singapore Air Transport Services (SATS) announced that it has been awarded a contract from Hainan Airlines for cargo handling services in Saudi Arabia.
SATS has been present in the Saudi Arabian air cargo market for over six years and handles over 60,000 tonnes of cargo and mail per annum for 19 airline customers.
Currently, Hainan Airlines operates three Airbus passenger flights a week to Riyadh and Jeddah, and the new contract will see SATS providing warehouse handling services for over 2,400 tonnes of import, export, and transit air freight annually, including special cargo shipments.
SATS will handle these services across three of its locations at Saudi Arabia’s biggest cargo airports.
In Riyadh, the SATS Airfreight Terminal covers 30,0000 sqm and offers the capacity to process over 300,000 tonnes of cargo a year. It also operates a second 30,000 sqm warehouse facility in Damman and a smaller 8,000 sqm facility in Jeddah with a throughput of 36,000 tonnes a year.
Furthermore, across the three Saudi Arabia operations, SATS offers facilities to support a wide range of cargoes, including a chiller for perishables and freezer rooms, a temperature-controlled pharma facility, and a courier express zone. These operations also incorporate areas for live animals, valuable, and dangerous goods shipments.
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Additionally, SATS provides road freight services connecting the three airports as well as Medina Airport.
CEO of Gateway Services at SATS, Bob Chi, says: “We welcome Hainan Airlines as a customer of SATS in Riyadh and Jeddah. The airline is an important and growing partner of the SATS Group globally and we look forward to supporting its growth in Saudi Arabia through the provision of high-quality cargo handling services in our modern and well-equipped facilities. This new contract also leverages the capabilities and reputation earned by Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), a member of the SATS Group, for the cargo handling services it already provides for Hainan Airlines in Europe and North America.”
Shares in SATS closed one cent or 0.36% higher at $2.78 on Jan 25.