WFS goes after perishables, pharma at JFK with 15-year lease on new terminal

Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) is betting big on New York’s air cargo market, signing a 15-year lease on the new Aero JFK II facility, a 346,000-square-foot cargo terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The new terminal is part of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s plan to reverse the region’s underperforming air cargo industry, tapping into strong demand for regional air freight services.

Michael A. Duffy, CEO of WFS’ Americas division, said that the ground handler’s volumes at JFK had grown by 6 percent in 2017, adding that the Aero JFK II facility would, “enable us to deliver the dedicated pharma and perishables handling facilities customers at JFK are so keen to see.”

WFS currently handles more than 650,000 tonnes of cargo a year for nearly 70 airlines across nine facilities at the airport, with a footprint of over 760,000 square feet.

The new building is set to open its doors in Q4 2020, and will enable WFS to offer JFK’s first dedicated facilities for temperature-controlled pharmaceutical products and perishables cargo.

The facility, which will have a throughput capacity of more than 300 million kilos a year. WFS said that Aero JFK II will offer improved cargo flows and reduced transfer times, shorter truck waiting times, and the latest security and screening systems and procedures.