Saudia Cargo and cargo.one announced an expansion of their partnership to bring more of the airline's capacity onboard the online marketplace for digital air cargo bookings.
The growth builds upon a more than 1.5-year collaboration in which cargo.one delivered Saudia Cargo's first external digital sales channel and greatly enhanced both its market reach and quality of service to freight forwarders.
In a statement, cargo.one and Saudia noted that their teams would double down on initiatives to derive maximum value from the airline's digital distribution.
Based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Cargo contributes to Saudi Arabia's expansion of the air cargo sector to offer more than 4.5 million tonnes per year by the end of the decade.
Saudia Cargo is continuing to expand digital access to its air cargo capacity.
Since the Summer of 2021, cargo.one has delivered customer-centric strategic digital sales and helped Saudia Cargo to expand its global footprint and strengthen its position in the market.
To date, freight forwarders using cargo.one has booked thousands of shipments across Saudia's global network on its dedicated freighter and passenger fleets.
The statement noted that over 50% of bookings were to destinations outside Saudi Arabia, supporting the airline's growth in new markets and customer segments.
It added that Saudia Cargo would continue to add new capacity to cargo.one from additional countries to new products and destinations.
"cargo.one has been a valuable partner in helping Saudia Cargo to advance and accelerate in a manner that focuses on customer needs. We expect the majority of customers to be booking digitally in only a few years' time, and cargo.one to continue delivering a valuable proportion of our online sales," said Teddy Zebitz, chief executive officer of Saudia Cargo.
"It makes every sense to work with the biggest marketplace partner, building upon existing successes, remaining dynamic to evolving market needs and generating new revenues wherever possible," he added.
Simson Demmer, vice president, partnerships at cargo.one noted that as Saudi Arabia grows its global air cargo hub, cargo.one is proud to play a role in this growth.
"Freight forwarders using cargo.one worldwide are the biggest winners, as they will be able to book even more Saudia Cargo capacity options seamlessly," Demmer added.
Saudia Cargo is intensifying efforts at an opportune time in the trajectory of digitalization in the air cargo industry.
cargo.one’s recent Digital Sales Trajectory Report revealed that across airlines surveyed, on average, the share of bookings via digital channels is expected to rise from 20% in 2021 to almost 60% by 2025.
