Aramex expands in Saudi Arabia with new Riyadh airport facility

Aramex has stepped up operations in Saudi Arabia with the official opening of its new express courier handling facility at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport.

The centre in the airport’s Model Cargo Village was launched at a high-profile ceremony attended by senior Saudi and UAE officials as well as company executives.

Aramex said the 5,900 sqm facility is equipped with the latest technologies to serve its growing customer base “more effectively and efficiently”, and in line with its continuous efforts to improve and streamline its operations and facilitate services for both B2C and B2B clients.

The centre is equipped with the latest automated parcel sorting systems with a capacity to handle up to 100,000 shipments per day. In addition, it is directly connected to the Saudi Customs Clearance systems, which will significantly reduce the time needed to clear the shipments and deliver them to their final destination.

Moreover, Aramex is expected to soon receive the Ground Services Provider Certificate (GACAR 151) issued by the General Authority of Civil Aviation.

Important growth market

Thanking the Saudi authorities for their support and participation in the inauguration ceremony, Aramex CEO Othman Aljeda stressed on the importance of the growing Saudi market for the company.

“Since establishing its operations in KSA, Aramex proved to be an active partner in the Saudi society and gained the trust of various sectors through its high-end innovative solutions and services,” he said.

Abdulaziz Abdullah Al-Nowaiser, General Manager of Aramex in KSA, added: “We are confident that this facility will boost the competitive advantage of Aramex in the Kingdom and promote its leading market position. The launch of our new facility comes in line with Aramex’s plans to continue expanding and ramping up its operations in KSA, which is one of the most important markets for us. It will also contribute to accelerating the process of clearing and delivering parcels and thus enhancing the overall customer experience.”

More investments ahead

He also shed light on Aramex’s plans to continue its investments in more facilities in KSA and support its workforce with the best Saudi talents to improve its operations and increase efficiency levels. This is in line with Saudi Vision 2030, by further developing the logistics sector and reinforcing the Kingdom’s position as a global logistics center. Saudi Arabia benefits from its strategic geographic location and infrastructure as it links all three continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe) together, supported by world-class laws and regulations.

Considering the steady growth witnessed by the regional logistics sector as a result of the boom in global e-commerce activities, Aramex is constantly looking for new opportunities to expand its operations, maintain growth and serve a larger customer base, including entrepreneurs, start-ups, and SMEs. Saudi Arabia is one of the best markets for these expansion plans due to the overall environment that supports business growth and high-quality infrastructure, according to the company.

Logistics partnerships

Meanwhile, Aramex has partnered with the International Humanitarian City in Dubai (IHC), the largest humanitarian hub in the world, to provide transportation and deliveries of aid including food, medicine, and vaccines to those who need it most around the world. In addition, the alliance will pursue synergies in integrating innovation and energy efficiency in humanitarian initiatives, and in optimizing the storage of relief items.

The company also recently partnered with the Arab Fashion Week as the Official Logistics Partner, providing timely international deliveries of fashion house collections to Dubai for the event along with last-mile delivery solutions for participants.

Sustainability initiative

Moreover, Aramex has also stepped up its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly by 2030 by committing to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). The initiative is part of the company’s sustainability strategy to reduce its impact on the environment, prevent climate-related risks, drive down energy consumption, and ensure that its progress towards net zero carbon is aligned with climate science.

In 2020, Aramex surpassed its 2016 goal of reducing emissions per shipment by 20%. This achievement was underpinned by substantial investments in renewable energy and electric vehicles. In addition to embedding sustainability throughout its own activities, Aramex continues to build awareness on environmental issues for its employees through different trainings as well as tree planting, clean-up, and energy conservation initiatives.