Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has secured two cargo handling contracts in the UK.

The new contracts were with Japan's Nippon Airways (ANA) and the Tunisian airline, Nouvelair. 

ANA has signed a three-year agreement with WFS to provide offline cargo reception points at 11 regional airports: Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London Gatwick, Manchester, and Newcastle.

WFS' UK transport division will also provide road feeder services carrying cargoes from the UK regions.

WFS noted that it operates over 600 trucking services a week for airline and freight forwarding customers in the UK, transporting over 50,000,000 kilos annually via connections to 18 UK airports.

Meanwhile, it noted that ANA will continue to work with its existing cargo handler at London Heathrow.

At London Gatwick, Nouvelair has chosen WFS as the cargo handling partner for its three Airbus A320 passenger flights per week to Tunis, the capital of Tunisia.

The airline has awarded WFS a three-year contract to support this new route.

While the number of weekly flights will be reduced to two for the winter season, Nouvelair has plans to enlarge its footprint at UK regional airports in 2023.

WFS said at Gatwick, WFS operates over 70,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space and more than 200,000 sq. ft. of airside yard capacity, handling some 36,000 tonnes of cargo a year for 15 short- and long-haul airline customers, and providing growth capacity for new airline clients.

"These new contracts reflect the scope of WFS' cargo handling and road feeder operations in the UK," said Jennifer Smith, WFS' UK commercial director - cargo & ground handling.

"We welcome the opportunity to support and grow AN'’s strong presence with customers in the UK and will also play an important role in helping Nouvelair establish its cargo business as a newcomer to the UK."

WFS operates one of the biggest own-fleet road feeder service networks in the UK, including roller bed temperature-controlled trailers with Carrier Vector 1950 temperature units.

Its comprehensive fleet of 25 tractor units and 25 specialist airfreight trailers, including Q7 curtain-side and Q6 refrigerated units, connects every airport in the UK overnight on a 5-7-day basis.