Saudia Cargo is opening a new route and widening its network to transport cargo to Europe and Scandinavia with the launch of two commercial flights to Copenhagen each week.

The route, which kicked off on 22 May, will see the airline fly its B777-300 passenger planes, with 140-tonne payload capacity on each flight, scheduled every Wednesday and Saturday.

The so-called ‘preighter’ flights are expected to provide airlift for pharmaceuticals and perishables.

“We have seen a growing demand for air cargo in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. And we believe that Copenhagen, as a central location in the Scandinavian region, is an ideal route to capture business from all these countries,” said Saudia’s cargo chief Teddy Zebitz.

“For Denmark and Sweden, we’re focusing on pharmaceuticals while in Norway, we’re looking at transporting perishables like salmon which the country is very well known for,” Zebitz added.

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Saudia added that its freighters stand ready to transport supplies to Copenhagen and between Scandinavia, and the new flights are seen to boost imports and exports in the region.

“Saudi Arabia and Europe have robust bilateral trade relations boosted by regular cargo and passenger flights between them. Elsewhere in the Middle East, Europe is also highly valued for its pharmaceutical products, medicines, cars and trucks, tech products, machineries and equipment, food, among many other things,” the airline noted.

Copenhagen Airport and Euro Cargo Aviation, the airline’s cargo sales agent in Scandinavia, welcomed the newly launched commercial route.

“This is in fact the first commercial flight that Saudia Cargo is operating to and from Copenhagen and Denmark. With two weekly departures, we will not only be able to give the Danish market a good and quick connection to Saudi Arabia, but also to several international connections from Riyadh and Jeddah,” said Johan Toreheim, managing director at Euro Cargo Aviation.