Han Ximin

1824295095@qq.com

A SAUDI Arabian Airlines B777 cargo plane took off from Shenzhen’s airport en route to Riyadh on March 16, the third cargo route launched from the airport that has seen its number of flights boosted this year.

It is also the first time that Saudi Arabian Airlines has launched a regular international cargo route from Shenzhen’s airport.

Airlines operate the route with two outbound flights weekly, mainly carrying e-commerce products that comprise 60% of their total cargo volume.

The launch of the flight has enabled Shenzhen’s airport to increase the number of flights to Riyadh to 11 per week and boost the airport’s cargo handling capacity to more than 1,100 tons a week.

Currently, the Shenzhen airport’s cargo routes have reached five cities in the Middle East including Dubai, Sharjah, Riyadh, Istanbul, and Tel Aviv.

Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, is the largest city on the Arabian Peninsula. China’s exports to Saudi Arabia totaled US$4.29 billion in 2023, an increase of 14.5% year on year. The two sides expanded cooperation in fields like e-commerce, the digital economy, and cultural exchange.

Saudi Arabian Airlines is the national airline of Saudi Arabia and one of the largest carriers in the Middle East.

“The ever-improving aviation logistics ecosystem at the Shenzhen airport plays a promotional role in the airline’s continuous increase in investment. We hope to further deepen our collaboration with the Shenzhen airport, and we will increase our capacity and expand the market in Shenzhen,” said Teddy Zebitz, CEO of Saudi Arabian Airlines.

The Shenzhen airport maintained steady growth in cargo turnover in the first two months of the year, doubling the volume of cross-border e-commerce.

In the past month, foreign airlines, such as Qatar Airways and Saudi Arabian Airlines, have increased their capacity at the Shenzhen airport. The Singapore, Madrid, and Riyadh cargo routes have increased their frequencies.

The number of domestic and international airlines operating all-cargo flights at the Shenzhen airport increased to 25.

The Shenzhen airport network has been extended to reach 37 destinations and now offers more than 250 flights per week.

This network ensures that goods originating in Shenzhen can be delivered to cities in the country within one day, to Asian cities within two days, and to other major global cities within three days.