Bahrain Airshow: new airline announcement good news for SGSC

Saudi Ground Services Company says yesterday's announcement of the launch of the new Saudi Gulf airline can only mean good news.

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“Now the announcement has been made, we will be in touch with them, listen to their requirements, and meet their needs,” said Ahmed Jannah, GM marketing and sales, Saudi Ground Services Company (SGSC), pictured right.

Jannah added that this was just another example of how the market in the Kingdom continues to grow. “We are seeing airlines coming back too, such as Philippines Airlines, which recently reintroduced non-stop flights to Riyadh and Dammam. Etihad and FlyDubai have also added operations to the holy city of Medina.
 
“More and more airports in Saudi Arabia are opening up operations and this offers us a great opportunity to build our relationships with airlines.”
 
SGSC handles around 500,000 flights a year and supports 55 million passengers flying to and from Saudi Arabia's 27 airports, including Jeddah, Medina, Dammam and Riyadh.
 
The company has had a good year. In October it handled more than 10,000 flights when pilgrims descended upon Jeddah and Medina Airports for the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
 
“This year we didn't have a single delay during the Hajj,” said Jannah. “That's quite an achievement.”
 
It has also introduced its “Meet and Assist” (Ahlan) service to assist passengers through the airport, helping with immigration and customs. Initially launched as a free trial, it now costs 200 Saudi Riyals per passenger (about £32).
 
SGSC is also launching its new Altéa departure control software. This analyses the passenger and cargo load and automatically defines the optimal aircraft load distribution and fuel required for each flight.
 
Steve Nichols

Steve Nichols

Steve (BSc Hons, FIIC) is a journalist and communicator with more than 35 years' experience.