OREANDA-NEWS. TNT Express and Saudi officials yesterday celebrated the first day of construction of the company's future air and road hub at Dammam's King Fahd International Airport (KFIA), Saudi Arabia. The new facility, which will enter service by January 2015, will quintuple the size of TNT Express' current sorting and customs clearance space in Dammam, allowing for a significant improvement in customs clearance efficiency and speed.

When complete, the Dammam site will become TNT Express' flagship clearance gateway into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The facility will give the company 4,800 square meters of sorting and customs clearance space within a 10,000 square meter building, compared with the 1,000 square meters space currently shared by TNT Express with other operators. The future facility will have dedicated customs clearance officers working in a 24/7 environment.

TNT Express will be able to clear its customers' goods quicker, with the additional space allowing more regular movements of trailers in and out of the clearance area. A broader clearance window, with the ability to handle TNT Express' Economy Express, Full Trailer Loads (FTL) and airfreight consignments, will further strengthen service to clients.

TNT Express will invest ˆ 9.5 million in the construction and lease of the building, with 78 employees expected at the new facility. Next to KFIA, TNT Express will continue to use its other gateways at Riyadh International Airport for Express, King Fahd Causeway for Express and Freight, Dammam Freezone for Freight and Al Batha border crossing handling all land based material between the UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“We are delighted that TNT Express has chosen KFIA to act as its key gateway to the Kingdom. We are already seeing large volumes from TNT and the new partnership underlined today will be beneficial to both parties,” said Engg. Khalid K. Al-Mzel, Director General of King Fahd International Airport.

Saudi Arabia is one of TNT Express' fastest-growing markets. The expansion at KFIA in Dammam can cater to growth in international road and air volumes. The facility will be part of TNT Express' Middle East road network, which connects the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait through multiple scheduled daily departures and 70 trucks. The network also reaches into Jordan. TNT Express' air and road networks in the Middle East are connected to Asia and Europe by a daily intercontinental air connection.