Saudia Cargo, Cainiao, and Worldwide Flight Services are to create a dedicated area at the Cainiao Liege eHub in Belgium from 1 March 2024 as part of a reinforced strategic collaboration. The move is in response to increasing demand for cross-border e-commerce, particularly in the Middle East and European markets. A WFS/SATS contract to handle over 50,000 tonnes annually on flights between Liege and Riyadh has been extended.
Earlier this year, Cainiao unveiled its international express shipping service, Global 5-Day Delivery, in collaboration with AliExpress, now available in the UK, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, and South Korea.
John Batten, chief executive, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia at WFS (a member of the SATS Group) commented:“E-commerce is extremely important to WFS/SATS, our customers, our industry, and, of course, consumers, but up to now, it has been processed within a traditional air cargo handling environment.
With the growth projections for e-commerce, the industry response must be more dynamic and tailored, and this is what WFS/SATS aims to deliver in Liege working alongside Saudia Cargo and Cainiao. This three-party collaboration leverages operational excellence skills and requirements from the airline, cargo handler, and e-commerce logistics perspectives, and will exemplify our commitment to innovation, speed, and real-time information for the future of the e-commerce logistics ecosystem.”
Saudia Cargo chief executive, Teddy Zebitz, said:”With high frequency flights on our Hong Kong, to Liege Via Riyadh route, we have a significant capacity exclusively dedicated to Cainiao. Utilizing a meticulous process involving pre-built ULDs, we facilitate an uninterrupted supply chain, supporting Cainiao in achieving their key performance indicators.”
Vice president of Cainiao Group, Eric Xu, stated: “Through continuously equipping our Liege eHub with cutting-edge technology solutions, we managed to boost the efficiency of logistics operations while improving customer experience through greater transparency and traceability. We are confident that this win-win collaboration will further reinforce Cainiao’s position as the world’s leading cross-border e-commerce logistics provider by offering the valued customers of us three companies with enhanced experience.”