Saudia Cargo has renewed its full-service ULD management partnership with Unilode Aviation Solutions for a further 5 years or until 2028.

Ross Marino, chief executive at Unilode, said the renewed agreement is based on a ‘more dynamic’ price modelling that enables Saudia to only pay for the ULDs that they utilise whilst ensuring ULD availability throughout their network.

Saudia Cargo, with a fleet of 90 passenger and cargo wide-body aircraft flying to 87 destinations, awarded the supply and management of its 21,000-strong container and pallet fleet to Unilode back in 2017.

Over the past five years, Unilode has transitioned the carrier to new, 20-kilo lighter solid door containers. The new agreement will also see the replacement of standard AKE containers with lightweight units from Unilode’s ULD pool. Unilode said it will also provide strategic buffer stock to Saudia Cargo during the Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca.

In related news, Saudia also inked an agreement with IATA on the sidelines of the World Cargo Symposium last week to work on its CEIV pharma certification.

For the next few months, the airline will continue rigorous preparations across multiple aspects of its operations, particularly on staff competency to handle pharmaceuticals, to comply with IATA’s requirements for CEIV Pharma Certification on top of GDP (Good Distribution Practice).

The process is meant to ensure that critical healthcare cargo such as COVID-19 vaccines and other pharmaceutical and bioscience products are not compromised while they are being transported on air.