WFS signs Nairobi fresh produce terminal deal

GROUND handler Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has signed a partnership agreement with Transglobal Cargo Centre in Kenya to take over the full management, operation and business development of its modern fresh produce and cargo terminal at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
The entity will operate under the Africa Flight Services (AFS) brand, the WFS division responsible for the development of a full range of handling activities across Africa.
AFS stations are already operating in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Dar es Salaam.
The Transglobal Cargo Centre opened in 2007 and is Nairobi’s leading fresh produce and cargo handling facility. In 2013, it handled 52,500 tonnes of cargo on behalf of its airline customers, including Emirates SkyCargo, Lufthansa Cargo and Astral Aviation.
Transglobal is a multi-purpose facility, the only one of its kind in Africa, which was designed and built to high specifications.
WFS is the world’s largest cargo handler and operates at 120 major airports in 20 countries. It handles over some four million tonnes of cargo per annum on behalf of some 300 airline customers globally.
Barry Nassberg, group chief operating officer at WFS, says: “Transglobal will also benefit from joining the WFS network in terms of being part of global customer agreements and having access to our operating and quality standards, and training.
The cargo terminal has the capacity to handle over 200,000 tonnes a year and offers great potential for growth at a time when the Kenyan economy is forecasting an annual GDP increase of 5.7 per cent in 2014 following healthy 4.7 per cent growth in 2013.”
Historically, cargo volumes in Kenya have grown at around twice the rate of GDP growth. The current air cargo market size in Kenya is approximately 250,000 tonnes per annum, with export traffic accounting for over 75 per cent.