Swissport has secured a new contract from Air France-KLM Group to extend services to all its airlines’ flights in Saudi Arabia.

Valid until 2025, the new five-year contract comprises air cargo handling, passenger services and ramp handling.

The French-Dutch group’s airlines include KLM, Air France Cargo, Martinair, Air France, and Transavia.

Swissport Middle East CEO Gerold Tumulka said: “We are excited and honoured by the renewed confidence Air France-KLM puts in our business and our people in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“By including all airlines of the group into the contract, we are the preferred partner for Air France-KLM in the region. We look forward to standing by their side through the market recovery and support them post-Covid as prospects get brighter.”

The agreement comes after a new KLM service from Amsterdam to Riyadh (RUH) recently started operating four times a week.

Before the pandemic, Swissport offered airport ground services to KLM on ten weekly flights in Dammam (DMM).

The company stated that it first commenced operations in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam in 2016.

Recently, the company added Al-Qassim to its portfolio as the fourth airport in Saudi Arabia.

Swissport Middle East, in partnership with Al Jarwani Group, has also been operating in Oman since 2017.

While Swissport holds 70% of the joint venture, Al Jarwani Group owns a stake of 30%.

In November 2020, Swissport secured a new air cargo handling contract at Frankfurt Airport days after it opened a new warehouse at the site.