Air


WFS and KN get together to speed Frankfurt clearances

[ March 20, 2025   //   ]

SATS’ Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) arm has launched a pilot project with forwarder Kuehne+Nagel to accelerate import cargo clearances at Frankfurt Airport. 

Developed by WFS’ specialist E-commerce & Freight Forwarder Handling (EFFH) team and Kuehne+Nagel Frankfurt, the project aims to optimize operations team and warehouse capacity to reduce waiting times and unnecessary storage fees. 

The partners say that early results already show significant improvements in air cargo delivery times, supported by a trucking control tower set up for the pilot to schedule truck movements between the warehouse and Kuehne+Nagel Gateway and process all customer requests and inquiries immediately. Using the control tower avoids the need to wait until a freight forwarder’s truck driver registers at its Frankfurt facility to commence the cargo outsourcing process. Instead, import cargo is loaded onto WFS/FCS’ own trucks and delivered directly to Kuehne+Nagel with close communication between both parties.

The EFFH team is now reviewing the implementation and optimization of e-commerce and freight forwarding products at all WFS locations in the EMEAA region.

Kuehne+Nagel vice president, Michael Jonas, said: “This pilot project in Frankfurt is designed to show us how the handling and clearance processes developed can significantly accelerate air cargo delivery in the import process by reducing clearance times. By implementing these processes within the cargo operation, any necessary adjustments can be made quickly to enable more efficient resource planning and utilization.”

EFFH vice-president Soheyl Rahmani, added: “With this enhanced import delivery service, we are working to make the import cargo handling process more efficient to enable us to offer freight forwarders in Frankfurt a more reliable and cost-efficient service moving forward. We are proud to be partnering with Kuehne+Nagel in this launch initiative, which we hope and expect to lead to broader import handling benefits for the wider cargo community at the airport.”

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