With the handling of the first Pakistan International Airlines flight arriving from Multan, Pakistan, Swissport has added Al-Qassim International Airport, Saudi Arabia, to its growing network in the Middle East
Initially, Swissport will handle one weekly flight to Multan and Islamabad but this is planned to increase as international flights return to Saudi Arabia.
Gerold Tumulka, CEO of Swissport Middle East, said, ?We are delighted to provide our quality aviation services to Pakistan International Airlines and are honored by their trust in us. Al-Qassim is our fourth airport in Saudi Arabia and further grows Swissport?s position as a high-quality service provider on the Arabian Peninsula.?
Prince Na?f Bin Abdulaziz International Airport at Al-Qassim is located 350km north of Riyadh, between the cities of Buraydah and Qassim. The region is one of the top three agricultural areas and production facilities in Saudi Arabia and many workers from South Asia will benefit from the new direct flights. In 2019, more than two million passengers have been served at Al-Qassim, some 70% of them bound for international destinations.
Swissport has been present in Saudi Arabia since 2016 when it started its operations in Riyadh and Jeddah with Dammam joining the network in 2017. Swissport has since gradually developed its business from a greenfield start-up into an established organisation with a broad customer base of regional and international carriers.
Besides Saudi Arabia, Swissport Middle East is also operating in Oman together with its partner Al Jarwani Group, which holds 30% of the joint venture. Since the start of operations in 2017, Swissport Oman has also rapidly grown its customer portfolio, which currently includes renowned regional and international carriers.
