Hainan Airlines has awarded a contract to SATS Ltd. (SATS) for cargo handling services in Saudi Arabia.

Hainan Airlines operates three Airbus passenger flights a week to Riyadh and Jeddah.

In the announcement, Hainan Airlines said the new contract would see providing warehouse handling services for over 2,400 tonnes of import, export, and transit airfreight annually, including special cargo shipments.

SATS noted that it 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. 

"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," said  Bob Chi, CEO of Gateway Services at SATS. 

The report said 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.

"It is important to Hainan Airlines and our customers that we work with cargo handling partners that can consistently meet the service standards we require. SATS and WFS share our approach, and together, they now offer us the opportunity to work with a single partner at more major airports across our network," said Jiandong Liu, general manager of the ground Handling Management Division at Hainan Airlines.

This business is handled across three SATS locations at Saudi Arabia's biggest cargo airports. In Riyadh, the SATS Airfreight Terminal covers 30,000m² and offers the capacity to process over 300,000 tonnes of cargo a year.

SATS also operates a second 30,000m² warehouse facility in Damman as well as an 8,000m² facility in Jeddah with a throughput capacity of 36,000 tonnes a year. Across the three Saudi Arabia operations, SATS offers facilities to support a wide range of cargoes, including perishables chiller and freezer rooms, a temperature-controlled pharma facility, and a courier express zone. The operations also incorporate areas for live animals, valuables, and dangerous goods shipments.

Additionally, SATS provides road freight services connecting the three airports as well as Medina Airport.