Saudia Cargo

If you stand at a cargo airport like Liège or Maastricht, you know the sight: a jumbo taxis in, the tracker shows an SV flight number – and a Maltese registration sits on the tail. Welcome to Saudia Cargo. The cargo arm of Saudi Arabia’s national airline flies with its own Boeing 777Fs but also with leased freighters from other operators. This page shows you how to assign the aircraft cleanly, which types are behind them and where you find them in Europe.

Saudia Cargo at a glance

Saudia Cargo is the cargo subsidiary of Saudia, Saudi Arabia’s state-owned network carrier. It was established as an independent company based in Jeddah in 2007, when Saudia spun off several business units and opened them to private investment. The airline had flown cargo long before that, though: in the 1980s Saudia built its own cargo stations abroad, including in Brussels.

Today Saudia Cargo works on two levels. On one hand it operates all-cargo aircraft – its own and leased aircraft that carry only freight. On the other hand it markets the cargo holds in the belly of Saudia passenger jets, according to company information to more than 50 international destinations. For you as a spotter the first part matters most: the freighters you can see at cargo airports across Europe.

The two hubs are in Jeddah on the Red Sea and in the capital Riyadh. For both airports Saudia Cargo announced new cargo terminals in 2018. Since 2008 the airline has also been active in the IATA initiative Cargo iQ, which develops quality standards for air cargo.

Codes, callsign and the SV trap

Saudia Cargo has no IATA code of its own. The cargo flights run under the parent’s code:

• IATA code SV: appears in the flight number, on air waybills and in schedules.
• ICAO code SVA: appears in the air traffic control flight plan when one of its own aircraft is flying.
• Callsign SAUDIA: this is how the crew of the own aircraft identifies itself on the radio.

This is exactly where the trap lies. Part of the cargo capacity is leased on an ACMI basis – that is, complete with aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance. These flights do carry an SV flight number but are operated by another airline. The tracker then shows its ICAO code: for example AAE for Air Atlanta Europe or ABR for ASL Airlines Ireland. Why flight number and callsign can diverge is explained in the article Callsign and flight number.

The fleet: own 777Fs and rented jumbos

According to industry reports from July 2026, the freighter fleet is made up like this:

Type	Number	Operator	Registration	Spotter tip
Boeing 777F	4	Saudia (own aircraft)	HZ-	The actual Saudia freighters, the only ones with Saudi registrations
Boeing 777F	4 on order	Saudia	–	First delivery announced for Q4 2026, the rest in 2027
Boeing 747-400F / 747-400BDSF	3 to 4, depending on the source	Air Atlanta Europe (ACMI)	9H-	Mix of factory-built and converted freighters
Airbus A330-300P2F	2	ASL Airlines Ireland	EI-	Converted passenger jets, much smaller than the 777F

The Boeing 777F is the centerpiece. It is the freighter version of the 777-200LR, with two huge GE90 engines and a main-deck cargo door at the rear left. The four own aircraft carry Saudi Arabian HZ registrations and are thus the only Saudia Cargo freighters that truly belong to the airline.

On July 6, 2026, Saudia signed a contract with Boeing for four more Boeing 777Fs. That would double the number of its own 777Fs to eight. The first aircraft was announced for the fourth quarter of 2026, the other three for 2027. Whether the new freighters replace leased jumbos or add capacity, the airline left open at the time of the order. So keep your eyes open: a fifth HZ 777F would be a nice catch.

The jumbos come from Air Atlanta Europe, the Maltese sister of Air Atlanta Icelandic. Two variants are mixed: the Boeing 747-400F, built as a freighter at the factory, and the 747-400BDSF, a converted passenger jet. How many of them are currently flying for Saudia, the sources state differently – sometimes three, sometimes four aircraft.

The two Airbus A330-300P2Fs fly for Saudia via ASL Airlines Ireland. The abbreviation P2F stands for “Passenger to Freighter”: the aircraft used to fly passengers and were later converted to freighters. You will find more on this variant on the page for the Airbus A330-P2F.

777F, 747-400F or A330P2F? How to tell them apart

All three types have no passenger windows and a large cargo door. Still, they are easy to tell apart if you watch for a few details.

On the 777F the tail helps too: it ends in a flat, knife-like edge, and the engines are enormous. If you want to tell the 777 and 787 apart, the article Telling the Boeing 777 and 787 apart helps. For the jumbos, the more interesting part is telling the factory-built freighter from the conversion. The factory freighter 747-400F has the short upper deck of the 747-200 and a nose that opens upward; on the BDSF the nose stays fixed, but the long upper deck is retained. You will find all variants of the 747 in detail in the article Boeing 747-100 to 747-8.

A look back: 747-8F and MD-11F

Saudia Cargo has used some exciting freighters that are no longer in the fleet today:

• Boeing 747-8F: Two examples of the most modern jumbo generation flew for Saudia from 2013. In 2021 they were taken out of the fleet and leased on to other operators. More on the type is on the page for the Boeing 747-8F.
• McDonnell Douglas MD-11: Saudia used the three-engine jet from the 1990s; according to industry reports it later also flew as a freighter for the cargo division but is no longer in the fleet today. The page for the MD-11 introduces the type.

If you have old photos of Saudia freighters in your archive, look closely: 747-8Fs and MD-11s in Saudia colors are real flashbacks today. The leased jumbos have changed over the years too – sometimes they came from Air Atlanta Icelandic, sometimes from other ACMI providers.

How to recognize Saudia Cargo

The own freighters wear the Saudia branding: the large “SAUDIA” name, the name in Arabic script and the HZ registration. Since 2023 Saudia has used a look that picks up the design of the 1970s. Because aircraft aren’t all repainted at once, you may also still come across an older livery on freighters.

With the leased aircraft the picture is inconsistent. Some carry Saudia titles, others fly in a neutral livery or in their operator’s colors. Here the registration decides: 9H- stands for Malta and thus for Air Atlanta Europe, EI- for Ireland and thus for ASL Airlines Ireland. How registrations are built in general is explained in the guide Understanding aircraft registrations.

The basics about freighters – missing windows, cargo doors, reinforced floors – are covered in the article Recognizing cargo aircraft.

Network and hubs

The cargo flights almost always start and end in Jeddah or Riyadh, sometimes also in Dammam. From there, according to route overviews (as of 2026), Saudia Cargo flies to these regions, among others:

Region	Destinations (selection)
Europe	Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Brussels, Liège, Maastricht, Milan
Asia	Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Mumbai, Dhaka, Ho Chi Minh City
Africa	Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Khartoum, N’Djamena
Middle East	Dubai, Sharjah
Americas	New York JFK, Houston
Australia	Avalon near Melbourne

Cargo networks change faster than passenger networks. Destinations are added or dropped depending on how demand develops. In 2026, for example, a connection between Riyadh and Melbourne was reported. So take the table as a guide, not a timetable.

Since 2019 Saudia Cargo has belonged to SkyTeam Cargo, the cargo alliance with members such as Air France-KLM Cargo, Delta Cargo and Korean Air Cargo. The passenger airline Saudia has been a member of the SkyTeam alliance since 2012. In regional competition in the Gulf, Saudia Cargo stands alongside much larger cargo arms such as those of Qatar Airways and Emirates.

Spotting Saudia Cargo in Europe

For spotters in Central Europe, the cargo airports in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany are the best addresses. According to overviews, Saudia Cargo serves several destinations there that lie close together.

• Liège Airport: One of Europe’s big cargo airports. An overview of the options on site is offered by the spotting area at Liège Airport.
• Maastricht Aachen Airport: A small airport with lots of cargo and short distances. You will find tips at the Maastricht Aachen spotting area.
• Frankfurt Airport: Saudia is represented here with passenger and cargo flights. According to airport overviews, the freighters come from Dammam and Riyadh. A good starting point is the Zeppelinheim viewing platform, and more tips are collected in the Frankfurt guide.
• Amsterdam Schiphol Airport: Freighters often land on the long Polderbaan; the spot at the Polderbaan is a classic for that.

At times, leased jumbos for Saudia Cargo also served Frankfurt-Hahn Airport. Whether that is currently the case is best checked shortly before your trip.

Because freighters often fly at the edges of the day or at night, light plays a big role. Plan your trip so the sun is behind you, and check beforehand which runway is currently in use. You shouldn’t expect a fixed weekly pattern with Saudia Cargo like with passenger airlines.

Saudia Cargo compared

Next to other cargo airlines, Saudia Cargo looks rather small. Lufthansa Cargo operates a much larger own 777F fleet from Frankfurt, Cargolux relies on a large fleet of Boeing 747 freighters. The special feature of Saudia Cargo is the high share of leased capacity. That is exactly what makes it interesting for spotters: behind a single brand are three operators, three registration prefixes and three aircraft types.

Common mix-ups

• Thinking every SV flight number is a Saudia aircraft – many cargo flights are operated by Air Atlanta Europe or ASL Airlines Ireland.
• Logging the 9H jumbo as a Saudia 747 – it belongs to Air Atlanta Europe and flies only on behalf of Saudia.
• Equating the 747-400F and 747-400BDSF – the factory freighter has a short upper deck and a nose door, the conversion doesn’t.
• Taking an A330-300P2F for a 777F – the A330 has smaller engines and four instead of six wheels per main landing gear.
• Looking for the 747-8F in the current fleet – it flew for Saudia only from 2013 to 2021.
• Confusing Saudia Cargo with Riyadh Air or flynas – both are independent airlines unrelated to Saudia’s cargo arm.

Conclusion

Saudia Cargo is an airline for spotters who like to look closely. The own Boeing 777Fs with HZ registrations are rare because there are only four so far – and the ordered additions make the coming months exciting. Alongside them, leased jumbos and A330 freighters fly under SV flight numbers. If you note the registration and ICAO code too, you assign every sighting correctly.