Saudi Airlines Cargo has continued its push into Africa, launching Boeing 747 freighter service to nine new destinations. In conjunction with its interline partners, Saudi Cargo will now serve the West African cities of Abidjan, Accra, Cotonou, Douala, Libreville, Lome, Malabo, Niamey and Ouagadougou from its Lagos, Nigeria hub. Some of the destinations will even enjoy five-times-weekly service, according to a press release.
Peter Scholten, vice president of commercial at Saudi Cargo, expects the new routes to boost freight volumes in the region tremendously. “By entering into cooperation with our interline partners, we will be able to offer greater connections to our customers as well as further expand our activities in this region, which has seen steady economic expansion over the last decade,” he said in a statement.
Africa’s economic growth also led Saudi Cargo to introduce a second freighter on its weekly route to N’Djamena, Chad. The additional flight, which commenced in May, complements Saudi Cargo’s services to Addis Ababa, Johannesburg, Khartoum, Lagos and Nairobi, according to a press release.
Amer Abu Obeid, Saudi Cargo’s sales director for the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, said N’Djamena is a strategic location for the carrier. “The cargo market into Chad is growing from different points in our network,” he said in a statement.
“The addition of a second frequency will enable us to offer this service to our global network, with a particular focus on European flights connecting to [the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] with 19 freighters per week,” Abu Obeid added.
Source: Air Cargo World News, Kforsythe
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