Saudi Airlines Cargo Company (Saudia Cargo) has signed an agreement with Fast Forward Cargo, a leading freight forwarder, in the UAE to operate 150 charter flights from Sharjah to West Africa in 2011.

Under this agreement Saudia Cargo will operate two weekly flights to Lagos, Nigeria and one to N'Djamena, Chad. The flights will be operated with B747 freighters.

“Sharjah Airport is our hub for freighter flights to West Africa,” said Al Ameen, Managing Director of Fast Forward.

“We selected Saudia Cargo as our main carrier for this charter program due to the strong partnership we have build up through the operation of 60 flights last year,” he added.

Peter Scholten, VP commercial of Saudia Cargo, said: “This agreement fits in our growth strategy in which we targeted to develop the emerging sea-air business from Asia to West Africa.”

Saudia Cargo sells the worldwide belly capacity of Saudi Arabian Airlines fleet of 125 passenger aircraft and operates a fleet of nine freighters that spans a rapidly expanding global network of 85 destinations. – TradeArabia News Service