WFS sees US demand soar on new airline wins and CAS acquisition

Ground handler Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) saw volumes across its 60 US cargo locations increase by 17% year on year during the first seven months of 2017.

The ground handler has won 37 new airline contracts during the period as well as 10 contract renewals from existing customers.

These agreements included contracts with Avianca Cargo in Miami, Atlas Air/Polar Air Cargo in Cincinnati, and AirBridgeCargo Airlines in Los Angeles as well as China Airlines in Chicago, LOT Polish in Newark and Los Angeles, and Swiss International Air Lines in San Diego.

The company has also integrated Consolidated Aviation Services (CAS) following its acquisition by WFS at the start of 2016. CAS officially rebranded as WFS earlier this year, making WFS the largest cargo handler in North America.

Ray Jetha, senior vice president, sales & business development for WFS in North America, said: "The air cargo industry is experiencing an uptick and we feel that we are in a good position to accommodate this growth with our current operations.

"As predicted, we will see an increase in the eCommerce market and this will certainly put some pressure on regular air cargo shipments.

"We are ready to take on this challenge and have put the necessary infrastructure in place in order to minimise the impact and also take advantage of the opportunities we expect to be created."