Saudia Cargo wants to continue providing tailor-made solutions for its partners and this time the airline has signed a new 12-month ‘space and service commitment’ agreement with Cainiao Network, the logistics arm of Alibaba Group.

The deal, which covers the period from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, exclusively secures air freight space for Cainiao on select Saudia freighter flights from Hong Kong to Riyadh and Liege.

An official signing of the new agreement was held in Munich, which Saudia said demonstrates the airline’s ‘ongoing commitment to delivering reliable and efficient air freight services to one of the world’s leading ecommerce logistics corporations.’

The extended partnership is a win-win situation for both parties, as it provides Alibaba’s logistics unit with increased access to Middle Eastern markets and allows Saudia Cargo to benefit from the growing global e-commerce market.

Saudia said the success of last year’s cooperation agreement with Cainiao allowed the carrier to achieve significant growth in e-commerce shipments. The airline has increased its capacity and the number of cargo flights to destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.

Saudia has been adding to its portfolio of cargo services and recently struck a deal with Tower Cold Chain in April to add more cold storage solutions for the pharma and life sciences sector. Together with Cainiao, Saudia is also exploring new lanes from Hong Kong and China to the Middle East, Africa, and possibly Latin America in the long term.