Saudia Cargo kicked off on May 22 its twice-a-week passenger-as-freighter flights to Denmark’s capital Copenhagen, widening its route network in Scandinavia for pharmaceuticals and perishables.
Saudia Airlines’ B777-300 passenger planes with 140-ton payload capacity per flight are being utilized as “preighters” on the route scheduled for Wednesday and Saturday.
“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 Cargo Chief Cargo Officer Teddy Zebitz, himself a Danish national. “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.”
Delighted with the launch of the flights on the new route, Zebitz added: “Saudia Cargo is here to reconnect the world. Our freighters stand ready to timely facilitate and efficiently transport supplies to Copenhagen and between Scandinavia. Saudia Cargo’s wide network across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, China and India in particular, will get the job done, help businesses rebound and save lives in this pandemic.”
The new flights are expected to boost Scandinavia’s import and export business amid continuing global recovery efforts in the post-pandemic era.
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.
Saudia Cargo Director Kenneth Fuhrmann said: “We hope these new flights will yield better business between the destinations and create more opportunities. Air cargo facilitates one-third of the global trade and we, at Saudia Cargo, take our role in transporting goods across the world very seriously. We will do the job safely and efficiently.”
Copenhagen Airport welcomed the news, saying this is the first commercial flight from Saudia Cargo to the route and expressed hope that passenger flights will soon follow once restrictions are lifted.
“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, the company’s general sales and service agents in Scandinavia.
