Dammam, Saudi Arabia: King Fahad International Airport (KFIA) has officially unveiled its “Cargo Village” that will position it as a multi-modal shipment and clearance destination.

The new facility offers direct access to the Eastern Province in Saudi Arabia, and bypasses the need for cargo to tranship through neighbouring countries.

More than 70 per cent of goods bound for the Gulf are destined for the Kingdom, and officials said the village guarantees express cargo delivery with reduced shipping times and increased cargo capacity.

“KFIA’s Cargo Village offers ease of shipping and cargo services while serving as a regional hub for global companies. Most importantly the Cargo Village creates new economic and employment opportunities for the Eastern Province. With our continued partnership with Changi Airports International and their efforts, we are on track to becoming one of the region’s leading aviation hubs serving both passenger and cargo traffic. We anticipate that we will soon be starting the next phase as the demand for facilities is expected to grow strongly,” said Yousuf Al Dhahri, KFIA Director General.

For the planning and implementation of the Cargo Village, KFIA has worked in cooperation with Saudi Customs and Changi Airports International (CAI).

Following a six-year agreement, the General Authority of Civil Aviation extended the contract with CAI in November 2014 to manage and operate KFIA for the maximum permissible period of seven months.

Innovative

CAI Chief Executive Officer, Lim Liang Song, praised the close working partnership between CAI, KFIA and Saudi Customs. “We are proud to be a part of this partnership in bringing this innovative facility to Dammam,” he said. “The Cargo Village will provide greater connectivity and cost efficiencies, and enhance KFIA’s position as a key regional cargo hub on the Eastern seaboard of the Kingdom.”

Work on the facility, spread over 500,000 square metres, started in December 2012 and the launch event on Tuesday was presided by Prince Saud Bin Naif, Governor of the Eastern Province.

The first of its kind for multimodal facilities in Saudi Arabia, the Cargo Village has attracted international and regional freight companies, including DHL Express, NAQEL, SMSA Express, TNT and UPS, to establish express cargo clearance facilities and offices at the Village.