The CEO along the team will continue to expand the footprint of Swissport in the Kingdom
Hamad Alhemede has been appointed new CEO of Swissport Saudi Arabia, and will take over his duties on 1 October 2024.
He joins the company from Saudi Ground Services (SGS), where he was a key member of the executive team with more than 17 years of experience. In his most recent role as Vice President of Commercial, he was instrumental in shaping the company’s strategic direction and building strong partnerships within the aviation industry. His wealth of expertise in the aviation ground services industry will drive Swissport’s continued growth in the Kingdom, where the company aims to further expand its presence in air cargo handling, ground services, and lounge hospitality business, with particular attention to servicing Saudi carriers.
“We are pleased to welcome Hamad Alhemede as our new CEO for Saudi Arabia,” says Dirk Goovaerts, CEO of Swissport’s CEMEAI region and Global Cargo Chair. “His leadership will help Swissport to continue its successful growth story and to contribute toward Vision 2030. We are ready to deliver operational excellence and the world-class services needed for the future of aviation in Saudi Arabia.”
In this new role, Hamad Alhemede follows Chris Browne, who will continue to support the Saudi team as new Chief Operating Officer for the Middle East region. Chris will have operational responsibility for Swissport in Saudi Arabia and also lead our business in Oman as country manager responsibility for Swissport Oman. Chris will also support in the business development activities for the Middle East.
Continued Growth and Expansion in Saudi Arabia
Swissport has been present in Saudi Arabia since 2016, when it began operations in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam. The company has continuously expanded its business, evolving from a greenfield start-up into an established player with a broad customer base of regional and international carriers. At the end of last year, Swissport and ASYAD Holding, a diversified family-owned Saudi group, have joined forces to accelerate the company’s growth in the Middle East’s largest economy.
In 2023, Swissport in Saudi Arabia served 7.7 million passengers (+49% vs. 2022) and handled approximately 28,000 flights (+39% vs. 2022). The company currently provides passenger services and ramp handling at six major airports, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Medina, King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Prince Naif Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in AlQassim and AlUla International Airport
In 2023, Swissport International AG provided best-in-class airport ground services for some 232 million airline passengers (2022: 186 million) and handled roughly 4.7 million tons of air freight (2022: 4.8 million) at 115 air cargo centers worldwide. Several of its warehouses have been certified for pharmaceutical logistics by IATA’s CEIV Pharma and by the British MHRA. At the end of December 2023, the world’s leader in airport ground services and air cargo handling, with currently around 60,000 employees, was active at 286 airports in 44 countries on six continents.
