WFS signs warehouse lease agreement to expand e-commerce & freight forwarder handling services in Frankfurt

Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), a SATS company, is expanding its specialised E-commerce & Freight Forwarder Handling (EFFH) services at Frankfurt Airport, Europe’s largest cargo hub, after signing a long-term lease on two warehouse facilities commencing in January 2026.

This investment will enable the expansion of the services offered by WFS in Frankfurt, increasing capacity to seize new opportunities with freight forwarding, trucking, and e-commerce companies that are contributing to the region’s continued growth.

In 2024, freight volumes through Frankfurt rose 6.2% year-on-year to 2.1 million tonnes, boosted by rising e-commerce volumes. Throughput continued to increase in the first half of 2025, up another 1% over the previous year. WFS already has a longstanding commitment to the development of Frankfurt Airport through its airline handling subsidiary, Frankfurt Cargo Services (FCS), in partnership with Fraport.

“As a premier air cargo gateway, Frankfurt is a focal point for global freight forwarders as well as for large e-commerce shippers serving the German and European markets. As a frontrunner in developing a new range of services to tap into the growing complexity of the air cargo value chain, WFS/SATS welcomes this timely opportunity to introduce our full EFFH services to customers in Frankfurt,” said Marc Claesen, SVP Northern Europe & Africa at WFS. “Forwarders and e-commerce shippers value the efficiency, less touchpoints, and faster throughput for all involved parties that our EFFH solutions provide, and we see strong growth potential in Frankfurt.”

With this new lease, WFS will take over two warehouses and two office buildings on a 24,000 m² site within the airport’s Cargo City South.

The facilities will be equipped with ULD handling systems and volume and dimension scanners used to expedite the processing of shipments and, once fully operational, WFS will have the capacity to handle up to 100,000 tonnes of import and export freight annually for E-commerce and Freight Forwarder Handling clients.

Strategically located at the entrance of Cargo City South, the warehouse operations are ideally positioned for the efficient handling of truck shuttle services between first-line facilities and forwarders’ warehouses in the Cargo City South area, as well as for serving international drivers - including those operating within WFS’s own European road feeder services network.

In July, WFS also opened a new 4,800m² EFFH building at Copenhagen Airport as it continues to widen its specialised services network.

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.

WFS also offers EFFH services in Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Liege, Madrid, Stockholm, and at 12 airports across France, including Paris CDG.