Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia’s new national carrier, has announced the launch of its cargo operations under the brand “Riyadh Cargo”, marking the airline’s entry into the global air cargo market and activation of belly-hold cargo operations across its wide-body fleet.
Riyadh Cargo’s strategy includes the utilisation of capacity on Riyadh Air’s over 120 on-order wide-body aircraft, which we will use to move goods efficiently and reliably, connecting global markets.
The launch of the brand reflects a deliberate, phased approach to building a
scalable and integrated cargo business, anchored at the airline’s Riyadh hub,
and designed to grow in step with network expansion and operational maturity.
Since recently
commencing operations as part of the airline’s wider Pathway to Perfect
process, Riyadh Cargo has demonstrated remarkable operational momentum on the
Riyadh to London Heathrow route, successfully transporting substantial cargo
volumes across a wide spectrum of commodities.
These include garments and textiles, fresh
flowers, seafood, tea, and coffee, highlighting the operation’s consistent and
reliable ability to handle time-sensitive, perishable, and high-value
shipments.
“Riyadh Cargo has been built with a clear focus on operational discipline,
reliability, and long-term scalability,” stated Pravin Singh, Global Head
of Cargo at Riyadh Air. “Launching within a live environment allows us to test,
learn, and continuously refine how we operate, while delivering real value to
our customers from the get-go. The launch of the brand is a foundational step
in building a cargo business that grows alongside our network expansion and
supports Saudi Arabia’s broader logistics ambitions.”
Digital capability
remains central to Riyadh Air’s core values, and Riyadh Cargo has ensured the
integration of dedicated cargo management systems, centralised airwaybill control,
and enhanced data visibility to improve transparency, accelerate decision‑making,
and maintain consistently high service levels.
In addition, centralised functionality, such
as the management of airwaybill stock with round‑the‑clock access, provides a
critical operational advantage.
In line with its
digital-native origins, Riyadh Cargo has partnered with CHAMPS’s Cargo
spot-neo, a next-gen cargo end-to-end platform.
The digital management system enables greater
operational control, enhanced data visibility, and more responsive
decision-making, supporting service reliability as volumes and network
complexity expand.
Additionally, cargo
operations are further supported by a strategic investment aligned with
best-in-class digitally tracked unit load devices (ULDs).
Riyadh Air works
closely with Unilode to manage and digitally track lightweight, durable ULDs.
These assets improve
visibility, enable real-time monitoring, and stock optimisation, and support
more efficient and sustainable cargo movements, particularly during irregular
operations.
On the ground, cargo
handling and hub management are delivered in partnership with SATS Saudi Arabia
Company.
Services are provided
at key airports across the Kingdom, including King Khalid International
Airport (KKIA) in Riyadh, King Fahd International Airport (KFIA)
in Dammam, and King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA)
in Jeddah.
These locations are supported by modern
facilities, specialised handling zones and centralised hub management, enabling real-time oversight
and smooth cargo connections.
Riyadh Cargo will
further benefit from dedicated facilities and enhanced capabilities designed to
elevate the overall customer experience.
As Riyadh Air advances
its ambitious growth plans with its existing fleet size of more than 180
aircraft and a network expected to reach over 100 destinations by 2030 the
airline is expected to contribute approximately $20 billion to Saudi Arabia’s non-oil GDP and
support more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs globally. -TradeArabia News Service