Saudia Cargo is scheduled to acquire seven converted Boeing 777-300 freighter aircrafts from Mammoth Freighters, a US-based aviation engineering start-up, in order to expand the airline’s freighter fleet size and substantially enhance its cargo capacities to satisfy rising market demand.
Under the agreement, Mammoth Freighters will reconfigure the ordered aircraft to carry heavy pallets on the main deck, with five more possible conversions, the airline stated. Moreover, the conversions are set to take place at Mammoth’s facility in Texas, US. The design will then be used by the airline’s maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) Jeddah-based subsidiary, Saudia Aerospace Engineering Industries (SAEI) to convert additional aircraft.
SAEI revealed it will establish a multi-bay facility dedicated to wide body aircraft modifications, maintenance and passenger-to-freighter conversions. The new facility will also be able to manufacture aircraft structural components needed in conversions.
The fleet expansion aims to capitalise on the rapid growth of e-commerce, following an agreement between the airline and the logistics arm of Chinese online retail platform Alibaba, Cainiao in 2021.
The agreement has significantly boosted Saudia Cargos’ e-commerce operations, with 12 weekly flights between the airline’s hub in Riyadh, Hong Kong and Belgium. The airline currently operates a total freighter fleet of seven cargo aircraft, including four Boeing 777 and three Boeing 747-400 aircraft.
