Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), a SATS company, continues to tap into ‘the growing complexity of the air cargo value chain’ with more airport stations across its Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia (EMEAA) region offering specialised e-commerce and Freight Forwarding Handling (EFFH) services.
WFS’ EFFH service makes freight Ready-for-Carriage, captures weight and cargo measurements and provides crating, repacking, security screening, consolidation, shipment labelling, and transportation between forwarders and handling agents. It also covers import deconsolidation, sorting, preparing shipments for customs clearance, and onward transportation by road.
In July, WFS opened a fourth warehouse facility at Copenhagen Airport to support the expansion of its specialised, valued added e-commerce and Freight Forwarder Handling (EFFH) services in Scandinavia.
This expansion extended WFS’s existing EFFH services footprint in Europe and Scandinavia, which already included dedicated e-commerce and freight forwarder services in Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, Liege, Madrid, Stockholm, and at 12 airports across France, including Paris CDG.
More capability
WFS has recently taken a long-term lease of two warehouses and two office facilities at Frankfurt Airport to increase capacity to seize new opportunities with freight forwarding, trucking, and e-commerce companies that are contributing to the region’s continued growth. Frankfurt is a good example of the type of hub WFS is looking to expand its EFFH services in, with its prominent global forwarding community, and its strong reputation as a leading airport for international cross-border e-commerce volumes into prime consumer markets.
When WFS opens its new warehouses and office locations in Frankfurt at the start of 2026, the 24,000 sq m site within the airport’s Cargo City South will handle up to 100,000 tonnes of import and export freight annually for e-commerce and Freight Forwarder Handling clients. It will also be equipped to expedite the processing of shipments with ULD handling systems and volume and dimension scanners. Further, the location will ensure efficient handling of truck shuttle services between first-line facilities and forwarders’ warehouses in the Cargo City South area, as well as for European road feeder services.
Looking further head, the opportunity to offer clients a range of tailored solutions, including dedicated areas for perishables and pharmaceuticals, while also expanding its specialist e-commerce and Freight Forwarder Handling services at the airport, has also driven WFS’ decision to invest in a sixth cargo terminal at Madrid Airport, which will open at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport in Q1 2028.
Serving the cool chain
SATS/WFS continues to reaffirm its position as a premier global handler of temperature-controlled pharma cargo with a network spanning 42 dedicated cold chain facilities strategically located to handle pharmaceutical products requiring both 2-8°C and 15-25°C temperature ranges.
Earlier this year, in a further development, WFS announced it was taking a 20-year lease on a new air cargo terminal in the CargoPort area of Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport (LYS), which serves the world’s leading vaccine-producing region. It is due to open in summer 2026.
“As the world’s largest cargo handling organisation with a network spanning 225 stations in 27 countries, we understand the specific needs of freight forwarders and e-commerce shippers as well as our traditional airline client base. We know companies are looking to market leaders like SATS/WFS for agile innovation and we accept this challenge. In addition to our leadership position in pharma logistics, the development of our e-commerce and Freight Forwarder Handling services adds value for all our client stakeholders and has been driven by a clear need from these customers for handling solutions which offer greater efficiency through less touchpoints and faster throughput,” said John Batten, Chief Executive Officer Gateway Services, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia (EMEAA).
“As a global aviation solutions provider, we see EFFH services as an important generator of growth for WFS as we respond to market demand and send a clear signal that we are ready and able to invest in new opportunities which benefit us and our customers,” he added.
