cargo link


rest of theMiddle East, Africa and Europe.” He emphasised: “We viewHong Kong, Shanghai and


Guangzhou as long-termgateways thatwe can use to capitalise on the cargo opportunities available fromwithin China itself.We are expanding in a progressiveway and are currently looking at the market over a span of the next two to four years.” He noted that the airline


Meagher: “We view Hong Kong, Shanghai and Guangzhou as long- termgateways”


has a long history of offering a transit cargo service through its home hubs in Saudi Arabia between markets like China and the GCC countries, Africa and Europe aswell as transatlantic links to Houston andNewYork. “Like every operatorwithwidebody freighters, our reliance on the Chinamarket is profound.We have big cargo transit facilities in Jeddah and


Riyadh ... andwe sell a direct end-to-end service,”Meagher said. Hewent on: “During 2011, the Saudi Airlines Cargo


freighter fleetwill increase to 11 aircraft – comprising amix of B747F,MD-11F and 39-tonne payload A310F aircraft – a sizeable step up fromthe base of eight unitswe had at the end of 2010. “We have significantly increased capacity into Africa,


Growthwill be slowto startwith, but I believe itwill gain momentumtowards themiddle of the year.” He added: “Our hubs continue to performvery efficiently


and they still provide one of the fastest transit times that one can expect.”


SAUDIARABIA Saudi Airlines Cargo currently serves three destinations in Greater China,with three 90-tonne payloadMD-11 freighters aweek flying to and fromShanghai Pudong, two MD-11Fs aweek to Guangzhou and four 110-tonne capacity B747-400 freighters aweek plus aweekly B747 passenger service into Hong Kong. FromApril this year, Saudi Airlines Cargowill introduce


an increased frequency on its China freighter services. Shanghai Pudongwill see fourMD-11Fs aweek, Guangzhouwill get three 103-tonne capacity B777Fs and Hong Kong four B747-400Fs. According toMichaelMeagher,who recently stepped


down as executive vice president Saudi Airlines Cargo at the end of his two-year contractwith the carrier: “Chinawill remain a criticalmarket for Saudi Airlines Cargo and our increase in capacity to thismarket reflects not only the forecasted growth for 2011 but also our plan to increase ourmarket share out of China to Saudi Arabia, aswell as the


AIR LOGISTICSCHINA 23


with increased frequencies on Johannesburg and Lagos, and there has been further expansion into theNairobi market. Europe has also seen an increase in capacity.” Thesemoves are based on the carrier’s projections of


overallmarket growth and its“aggressive strategy to increasemarket share”,Meagher added.He concluded: “We want to fully utilise the Saudi Airlines Cargo network and our transit hubs in Saudi Arabia”to growthe business.


QATAR InDoha, flag-carrierQatar Airways operates aworldwide passenger fleet that provides scheduled services fromits Gulf hub to Beijing, Guangzhou,Hong Kong and Shanghai.


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