Saudi Arabian airline to enter local cargo market

Saudi Arabian Airlines Cargo has got the go-ahead from the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) to operate services to HCMC for at least one month in the initial time beginning in mid-May.
The aviation authority told the Daily in an email on Thursday that the airline was licensed to conduct chartered cargo flights on the King Khaled (Saudi Arabia)-Shanghai-HCMC-King Khaled route from May 16 to June 16. The carrier will use the MD11 freighter to fly to the economic hub of Vietnam on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays during the period.
Saudi Arabian Airlines will be the second Middle East carrier to fly to Vietnam after Qatar Airways, which currently has 11 weekly passenger services between Doha and Vietnam’s two biggest cities – HCMC and Hanoi.
CAAV said Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a memorandum of understanding on air services and initialed an air services agreement in Dubai on April 21 as important steps towards enabling airlines to launch services between the two countries.
The two sides have agreed to designate airlines to operate scheduled air services in the future, with Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways, Etihad Airways, Air Arabia, RAK Airways and Fly Dubai selected by the UAE and Vietnam Airlines chosen by Vietnam.
While relevant documents will be submitted to the governments of Vietnam and the UAE for approval before the two sides officially sign an aviation agreement, several Arabian airlines are looking for an opportunity to tap the potential of Vietnam’s growing aviation market in both passenger and cargo segments.
CAAV reported over 10.7 million passengers and 340,000 tons of cargo on the international flights to and from Vietnam last year, year-on-year respective increases of 20% and 37%.
The first quarter this year saw more than three million passengers and over 79,000 tons of cargo on the international services, up 11.5% and 11% respectively compared to the same period last year.
This quarter also saw Jade Cargo International adding Noi Bai International Airport to its weekly services on the route connected with its network destinations in Shanghai, Chennai, Dubai and Amsterdam. The carrier uses the Boeing B747ER for its services to Hanoi.