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Saudia Cargo expands AI operations and prepares to double its fleet
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia /Technology

Saudia Cargo expands AI operations and prepares to double its fleet

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Interview Named sources New plan
  • Saudia Cargo is using artificial intelligence to forecast demand, manage capacity, optimize cargo loads, monitor sensitive shipments and automate operations.
  • The company plans to add four Boeing 777-200F aircraft, doubling its fleet over more than two years and expanding long-haul capacity.
  • The expansion targets growing demand for high-value, temperature-sensitive and express cargo across Asia, Europe, North America and other markets.

Saudia Cargo is moving artificial intelligence from the margins of its business into the daily mechanics of air freight. The Saudi company uses algorithms to forecast demand, manage capacity and optimize cargo weight and load distribution, while sensors track the temperature of sensitive shipments.

Hisham Mallakah, the company’s vice president of shared services, described the shift in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat during the LEAP 2026 technology conference. Saudia Cargo is also using digital tools to automate operations as it seeks to keep pace with changes in global logistics.

The company is preparing to add four Boeing 777-200F freighters, a move that will double the size of its fleet over more than two years. The aircraft can fly about 9,200 kilometers at full payload and are intended to carry heavy and temperature-sensitive goods nonstop over long distances.

Saudia Cargo says the new planes will improve fuel efficiency, reduce costs and emissions, and support expansion into high-yield markets. The company is targeting rising demand for express freight and e-commerce between China, other parts of Asia, Europe and North America, along with pharmaceuticals and perishable goods.

Mallakah said Saudia Cargo’s participation in LEAP would help it examine new technologies, exchange expertise and explore partnerships in artificial intelligence and cloud computing. The expansion supports Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become a logistics hub linking three continents by 2030.

Artificial intelligence and digital technologies are now embedded in the company’s operations, rather than used merely as supporting tools.

— Hisham MallakahSaudia Cargo’s vice president of shared services described how the company uses technology in its operations.
About this summary

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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