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Laws & RegulationsKing Abdulaziz International Airport, Saudia Cargo Sign 25-year Deal
Jeddah, 8 March 2017
Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport, Saudi Arabia’s gateway to the Holy Sites, and Saudia Cargo, the airline’s air freight arm, have entered into a 25-year strategic partnership, the General Authority of Civil Aviation’s the Kingdom’s aviation oversight agency, announced on Wednesday 8th March 2017.
Tariq Al-Abduljabbar, Deputy to the President of the Authority for Airports, and Nabil Khojah, Chief Executive Officer of Saudia Cargo, signed the contract at the Hayat Park Jeddah Hotel.
“The renewal of this strategic partnership is one step on the way towards achieving the Authority’s objective of uprating the quality of services at airports, especially at a time of runaway demand for logistical services all over the Kingdom,” said Abduljabbar.
The contract, he explained, will see the setting up of facilities to process inbound, outbound, and transit freight.
“The existing facility will be razed and replaced by a completely new, world-class facility in two phases that eventually will cover an area of 131,100 square meters.”
Abduljabbar stressed that the renewed partnership will bolster more vigorous economic activity that would contribute to the national economy, boost foreign investment, and enhance the quality of services at every airport in the Kingdom, pointing out that the Authority is in the process of revamping the infrastructures of all airports across the country, not only to meet the growing demand for air freight, but also to improve freight services, which, in turn, is set to create more jobs for young Saudis.
The new deal, he concluded, will assure the excellence of the freight services that users will get, starting with the state-of-the-art customer service center that will be part of the new facility, and not ending with the boosted capacity that will easily meet future growth in demand.
Abdulrahman Al-Mubarak, Airport’s Cargo and Logistics Director, said that the GACA’s strategy is to create capacity through robust infrastructures, while working with other government agencies to streamline the processing of imports and exports through national airports, with the desired result being healthier cargo traffic and better services.
The upcoming air freight facility at King Abdulaziz International Airport, explained Al-Mubarak, will be the Kingdom’s biggest, and will provide unrivaled logistical services, with capacity that is sure to meet the demand.
GACA had put a second license for air cargo operator at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam up for bidding, which the Singapore Airport Services Co. eventually won.
Last February, GACA started receiving bids for the second cargo operator license at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, and bidding is set to continue through May. The second cargo operator license for King Abdulaziz International Airport is set to be up for bids later this year.
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