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Track and Trace

Frankfurt Cargo Services handles first Covid vaccine shipments in support of WFS’ ‘Project Coldstream’

Frankfurt Cargo Services (FCS), a subsidiary of Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has handled its first shipments of Covid-19 vaccines from German biotechnology company BioNTech as the airport gears up to play a prominent role in the global recovery from the coronavirus. Doses of the vaccine were handled at FCS’ facility at Frankfurt’s CargoCity Süd before being loaded into the cargo hold of a Royal Jordanian Airlines’ Airbus A319 bound for Amman.

FCS, the largest airline-independent cargo handler at Frankfurt Airport, has been completing its preparations to support Covid vaccine shipments since last year as part of WFS’ Project Coldstream initiative to coordinate the group’s global response to the anticipated transportation of some 16 billion doses of vaccine. In Frankfurt, this has included gaining CEIV certification by IATA in September as well as the Pharma and Good Distribution Practice (GDP) certification by the European Union in November respectively to ensure compliance with the quality requirements of airlines and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

For the vaccine shipments, FCS’ dedicated pharma handling personnel takes responsibility for all the required warehouse processes from the point of delivery to the airport, checking the integrity of packaging, and constantly monitoring the temperature of the consignment to ensure it maintained strict -70°C requirements. Shortened handover times for ramp transportation to the aircraft were also introduced, allowing doses of the vaccine to remain in FCS’ temperature-controlled pharma storage location until close to the flight departure time.

FCS pays tribute to top airline performers for high Frankfurt cargo volumes in 2020

Frankfurt Cargo Services (FCS), a subsidiary of Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), has
honoured its top-performing airline customers of 2020 for their growth and agility in
responding to industry disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In keeping with its annual tradition, FCS – the largest neutral cargo handler at Frankfurt
Airport – awarded each airline with a handmade Apfelwein-Bembel cider cup to knowledge
their success in the Frankfurt air cargo market over the previous 12 months.

AirBridgeCargo Airlines retained its number one position in 2020 for the highest overall
tonnage level, while FCS also recognized the strong performance of Qatar Airways and
China Southern Airlines in second and third places respectively.

Diana Schoeneich, Senior Director European Region at AirBridgeCargo, commented: “We
would like to thank our long-time partner FCS for the recognition and this nice tradition that
has been maintained for so many years. As AirBridgeCargo has been a winner since 2009,
we thank FCS for our successful partnership and support, especially during the pandemic.
Delivering much needed cargo was a challenging task in 2020. Thanks to teamwork, aligned
internal processes and the dedication of our employees, we were able to continue supporting
our European customers and contribute to the fight against the spread of COVID-19 by
transporting more than 4,000 tons of specialized cargo."

Large Corona testing campaign by Frankfurt airfreight handlers

Frankfurt am Main, 10 January , 2021

FCS Frankfurt Cargo Services, LUG aircargo handling and Perishable Center Frankfurt (PCF) test entire staff

In the first week of January, a large-scale Corona testing campaign was conducted at Frankfurt Airport by the three major air cargo handling companies FCS Frankfurt Cargo Services, LUG aircargo handling and Perishable Center Frankfurt (PCF). A total of around 1,500 employees of the companies, which together handle around 40 percent of the air freight at Frankfurt Airport, was tested. Over several days, the Bensheim-based company Chemlab conducted the tests on site. The aim of the measure is to ensure even better protection of the workforce against infection in the company.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the personnel involved in cargo handling is experiencing a major challenge. Despite the cancellation of the biggest part of passenger flights, Frankfurt Airport recently handled far more cargo than in the previous year. The employees of FCS Frankfurt Cargo Services and LUG aircargo handling moved up to three times more cargo. This is primarily due to the high volumes of imported personal protective equipment. The staff is on duty around the clock to keep goods moving safely and quickly during the current crisis.