Saudia Cargo’s e-commerce volumes boosted by Cainiao deal

Saudia Cargo has reported a double-digit increase in e-commerce volumes since it partnered with Cainiao last year.

The airline told Air Cargo News that its e-commerce volumes had increased by around 30% since last year.

In March last year, Saudia Cargo and the Alibaba logistics arm teamed up on 12 flights per week covering a route from Hong Kong to Liege in Belgium, with Riyadh city as a connection point.

Vikram Vohra, Saudia Cargo’s regional director – Asia Pacific, 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.”

Dandy Zhang, commercial director of global line haul, Cainiao’s Cross-border business, added: “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.”

Saudia Cargo said 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.

The company has increased its haulage capacity from last year and the number of flights from the Hong Kong market grew by 30%.

“The pandemic revealed the urgent need for cargo services as the e-commerce sector saw a dramatic rise during the pandemic, with a forecast increase of 19% worldwide on e-commerce revenue between pre-and-post Covid-19 timeframes in 2020,” the partners said.

Damian Brett www.aircargonews.net & Saudia Cargo