Saudia Cargo has added Shanghai to its freighter network with one flight departing from Riyadh every Saturday and another from Jeddah every Tuesday, a press release confirmed. 

The carrier will use a B777 freighter with a 95-tonne capacity to transport cargo between Shanghai and Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport and Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport. 

Saudia Cargo said that the network expansion was in response to the growing demand for air cargo capacity, according to reports issued since last March. 

Omar Hariri, Saudia Cargo’s CEO, said the airline operated 29 unscheduled all-cargo flights from Shanghai International Airport to ensure the continuity of cargo operation to the Kingdom despite the challenges posed by COVID-19. 

Saudia Cargo transported 75,000 tonnes of medicines and medical equipment to the Kingdom from March to June 2020. 

In July, the air cargo carrier operated over 1,500 flights, a third of which were done using passenger aircraft dedicated for international cargo operations.