Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has demonstrated its commitment to New York by signing a 15-year lease on a 346,000 square foot cargo terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The handling agent is already one of the largest at JFK, handling over 650,000 tonnes of cargo a year for nearly 70 airlines at its nine facilities at the airport, spanning a footprint of over 760,000 square feet.
The state-of-the-art terminal is the first phase of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s comprehensive Vision Plan to enhance JFK, and the projected opening of the new building in the fourth quarter of 2020 will enable WFS to offer the airport’s first dedicated facilities for temperature-controlled pharmaceutical products and perishable cargo.
The facility will have a throughput capacity of over 300 million kilos a year, and offer improved cargo flows and reduced transfer times, shorter truck waiting times and incorporate the latest security and screening systems and procedures.
New York Governor, Andrew M. Cuomo says: “We are transforming JFK into a world class, state-of-the-art airport and – with this new cargo facility – a major economic engine. With this much-needed modernisation of JFK’s cargo operations, we will help create jobs and support economic growth across the entire New York metropolitan area for years to come.”
WFS Americas chief executive officer, Michael A. Duffy adds: “As a major supporter of the New York cargo community, WFS is delighted to witness the ambition for JFK’s cargo future, which will reinforce its position as one of the world’s leading freight airports and gateways.
With our own volumes at JFK growing some six per cent in 2017, the Aero JFK II facility will give us the capacity to grow and to fulfil our prime global commitment to safety, security and service quality.”
Aeroterm has been awarded a contract by the Port Authority Board of Commissioners to build the new Aero JFK II facility, a $132 million investment that will see WFS operating from the airport’s most modern cargo location.
The Port Authority Board has also approved a further $62.2 million project to upgrade taxiways CA and CB at JFK to accommodate today’s modern freighter aircraft.
The Aero JFK II facility will be built on a 26-acre site following the demolition of two 40-year-old and vacant cargo buildings at the airport and will also provide ramp space for three wide-body aircraft.