Hainan Airlines has awarded a contract to SATS Ltd. for cargo handling services in Saudi Arabia.

Hainan Airlines operates three Airbus passenger flights a week to Riyadh and Jeddah, and the new handling contract earmarks over 2,400 tonnes of import, export, and transit airfreight annually, including special cargo shipments.

SATS has been present in Saudi Arabia for over six years and handles over 60,000 tonnes of cargo and mail each year for 19 airline customers. It operates across three locations at the country’s top cargo airports.

SATS’ airfreight terminal in Riyadh covers 30,000 square metres and offers the capacity to process over 300,000 tonnes of cargo a year. The ground handler also operates a second 30,000-sqm warehouse facility in Damman as well as an 8,000-sqm facility in Jeddah with an annual capacity of 36,000 tonnes.

Bob Chi, CEO Gateway Services at SATS, said the new contract builds upon the reputation earned by WFS for facilitating handling services in Europe and North America. Hainan and SATS’ history go back to 2022 when the airline became SATS’ 45th customer.

Across the three Saudi Arabia operations, SATS offers facilities to support a wide range of shipments, including perishables chiller and freezer rooms, a temperature-controlled pharma facility, and a courier express zone. These include areas for live animals, valuable, and dangerous goods shipments. It also provides road freight services connecting the three airports and Medina Airport.

“It is important to Hainan Airlines and our customers that we work with cargo handling partners that can consistently meet the service standards we require,” said Jiandong Liu, General Manager of Ground Handling Management Division at Hainan Airlines.

“SATS and WFS share our approach and, together, they now offer us the opportunity to work with a single partner at more major airports across our network.”