Saudia Cargo has officially awarded a landmark multi-station contract to Worldwide Flight Service (WFS), which significantly extends cargo handling services across major key airport gateways in Europe and the United States of America.
The contract was formally signed by Teddy Zebitz, CEO of Saudi Cargo, and John Batten executive vice president of EMEAA at WFS, at a ceremony held in Saudia Cargo’s Jeddah Headquarters to inaugurate new agreement.
WFS will now be handling over 160,000 tonnes of cargo annually for Saudia Cargo, in addition to providing ramp handling services for air cargo shipments onboard over 5,000 passenger and freighter flights per year.
Commenting on the contracts award, CEO of Saudia Cargo, Zebitz said: “WFS is a global leader in providing cargo handling services and by awarding this contract to them, we are certain that our operations in pivotal stations on the European and American continent that are part of WFS’ network, will considerably benefit from their highly reliable expertise.
“Saudia Cargo is dedicated to delivering the highest standard of customer satisfaction and a seamless experience to consumers. WFS will productively contribute towards this. We will continue to form strategic partnerships with other logistics providers, both in the public and private sectors, ultimately supporting the creation of a more cohesive and efficient logistics ecosystem in the Kingdom and beyond,” he added.
Batten also commented saying: “We are honored by Saudi Cargo’s trust and confidence in WFS and to be extending our partnership with one of the leading air cargo carriers in the logistics industry. Together, we will combine our efforts to provide the very best service experience for the airline’s customers. Our strategic operations in the Eastern hemisphere are exceptionally advanced and well-equipped to meet the needs of Saudia Cargo’s services and we look forward to achieving many new milestones together over the course of our partnership.”
The contract with WFS covers its services at several important stations including Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris, London, Manchester, Brussels, New York and Washington. As part of its rigorous tender process, Saudia Cargo carried out essential technical visits to each WFS station to ensure the quality of each facility met the company’s standards. Key meetings were also held with integral local WFS staff responsible for managing the airline’s cargo operations to streamline communication and connectivity. The responsibilities, contractually agreed upon, will commence from Feb. 1, 2023 onwards.
Mohanned Badri, vice president of operations at Saudia Cargo expressed the promise of the contracts award and said: ‘This partnership will contribute to the growth of both Saudia Cargo and WFS in providing seamless cargo services, with WFS playing a substantial role in the success of Saudia Cargo’s operations at these stations. Both companies are also exploring future opportunities for furthering their partnership by expanding to new destinations where WFS possesses cargo handling capabilities.’
With its “human first” and customer centric mindset, Saudi Cargo continues to collaborate with its customers and partners, providing innovative and customized solutions to help them achieve their goals. Saudi Cargo has grown quickly to become a major international liner, spearheading Saudi Arabia’s mission to become a crucial regional and global logistics hub that is geared towards customer centricity and upholding practices that always put customers first.
