AFKLM Group’s extended contract to Swissport in Saudi now includes cargo handling

January 15, 2021: Until 2025, Swissport will be serving Air France KLM Group in Saudi Arabia. The new contract expands the existing cooperation to all flights of all airlines of the French-Dutch airline group, including freighter services, to and from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

With the 5-year commitment of French-Dutch airline group in Saudi Arabia, Swissport further strengthens its presence on the Arabian Peninsula. The new contract also includes air cargo handling in addition to passenger services and ramp handling. The new agreement covers all airlines of the Air France-KLM Group, including KLM, Air France, Air France Cargo, Martinair and Transavia.

"We are excited and honoured by the renewed confidence Air France-KLM puts in our business and our people in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," said Gerold Tumulka, CEO of Swissport Middle East. "By including all airlines of the group into the contract, we are the preferred partner for Air France-KLM in the region. We look forward to standing by their side through the market recovery and support them post-Covid as prospects get brighter."

The start of the expanded agreement is marked by a new KLM service from Amsterdam to Riyadh (RUH) four times per week, started in the week of January 11, 2021, which is operated with A330 wide body aircraft. Pre-Covid, Swissport had provided airport ground services to KLM on ten weekly flights in Dammam (DMM), a stop-over on route between Amsterdam and Muscat, Oman, where Swissport also provides ground services.

The contract expansion supports Swissport's growth strategy in the Middle East. Just recently, Swissport had added Al-Qassim as a fourth airport to its portfolio in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Overall, Swissport has been present in Saudi Arabia since 2016 when it started operations in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. Swissport has since gradually developed its business from a Greenfield start-up into an established organisation with a broad customer base of established regional airlines and well-known international carriers.

Swissport Middle East is also operating in Oman together with its partner Al Jarwani Group, which holds 30 percent of the joint venture. Since the start of Omani operations in 2017, Swissport Oman has rapidly grown its customer portfolio, too, positioning it as a reliable airport service provider for regional and international carriers alike.