Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia’s new national carrier, today announced the launch of its cargo operations under the brand “Riyadh Cargo”, marking the airline’s entry into the global air cargo market and activation of belly-hold cargo operations across its wide-body fleet.
Riyadh Cargo’s strategy includes the utilisation of capacity on Riyadh Air’s over 120 on-order wide-body aircraft, which we will use to move goods efficiently and reliably, connecting global markets.
The launch of the brand reflects a deliberate, phased approach to building a scalable and integrated cargo business, anchored at the airline’s Riyadh hub, and designed to grow in step with network expansion and operational maturity.
Since recently commencing operations as part of the airline’s wider Pathway to Perfect process, Riyadh Cargo has demonstrated remarkable operational momentum on the Riyadh to London Heathrow route, successfully transporting substantial cargo volumes across a wide spectrum of commodities.
These include garments and textiles, fresh flowers, seafood, tea, and coffee, highlighting the operation’s consistent and reliable ability to handle time-sensitive, perishable, and high-value shipments.
Pravin Singh, Global Head of Cargo at Riyadh Air, stated: “Riyadh Cargo has been built with a clear focus on operational discipline, reliability, and long-term scalability,”.
“Launching within a live environment allows us to test, learn, and continuously refine how we operate, while delivering real value to our customers from the get-go. The launch of the brand is a foundational step in building a cargo business that grows alongside our network expansion and supports Saudi Arabia’s broader logistics ambitions.”
Digital capability remains central to Riyadh Air’s core values, and Riyadh Cargo has ensured the integration of dedicated cargo management systems, centralised airwaybill control, and enhanced data visibility to improve transparency, accelerate decision making, and maintain consistently high service levels.
In addition, centralised functionality, such as the management of airwaybill stock with round the clock access, provides a critical operational advantage.
In line with its digital-native origins, Riyadh Cargo has partnered with CHAMPS’s Cargo spot-neo, a next-gen cargo end-to-end platform.