Saudia Cargo has signed agreements with three major companies to construct a new cargo handling facility at King Abdulaziz International Airport.

Fawaz Al-Fawaz, chairman of the board, Saudia Cargo and Omar Hariri, chief executive, Saudia Cargo, signed the agreements during a ceremony attended by Ghassan Al-Shibl, chairman of the board at Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation; Saleh Al-Jasser, director general of Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation; and Muhammad Abunayyan,
member of the board, Saudia Cargo and chairman of the executive committee.

The agreements were signed with three companies: Al-Bawani which will be in charge of construction and implementation of the project, represented by chief executive Fakher Al Shawaf; Siemens, which will supply the facility with state-of-the-art mechanical equipment and advanced cargo handling systems, represented by chief financial officer, Mohammed Mohammed; and AECOM, which will act as the supervisor of the new facility’s engineering works, represented by chief executive Ian Manser.

“The 75,000-square-meter cargo handling facility has double area of the current one, estimated at 35,000 square meters.

“The first phase of the project commences June 2018 and is expected to end November 2019 while the second phase begins June 2020 and ends December 2021 as per the implementation plan,” explained Hariri.

The new facility will enhance Saudia Cargo Company’s handling capabilities for hazardous material, pharmaceuticals, frozen materials and different goods.

The increase in cargo operational capacity will lead to leapfrog transformations in the company’s sectors.

The project comes in line with the Saudia Cargo Strategy 2020, launched recently in alignment with Vision 2030.

“We will strive to turn the Kingdom into a global logistics and economic hub,” Hariri said.