Happy 100th Anniversary
to the PANYNJ
Worldwide Flight Services& Port Authority of New York & New Jersey:
Building for a Safe, Secure & Sustainable Future
Worldwide Flight Services
(WFS) and the Port Authority
of New York New Jersey share
a common vision for cargo operations
at JFK, underpinned
by safety, security, and service.
Developed over decades of
collaboration with the Port, today,
WFS’ commitment to the
future of JFK is greater than
at any time in the company’s
history. As the world’s largest
air cargo handler, WFS and its
partner airlines are part of an
airport community of ground
handlers, trucking companies,
freight forwarders, brokers,
Customs and Border
Protection, TSA and FAA representatives
all embracing the
Port’s strategy to constantly
innovate and improve the efficiency
of its cargo areas and
services, and to contributing
to the economic growth of JFK
as the major cargo airport in
the United States.
“Our mutual focus on sustainability,
employee well-being,
airport safety, security
and infrastructure continue
to benefit all the stakeholders
of JFK International Airport,”
said Mike Simpson,
EVP Americas at WFS.
JFK is aprominent international
gateway, handling
some 1.3 million tons of cargo
per annum pre-Covid and over
one million pieces of mail a
day. Highly trained and experienced
WFS staff work
round-the clock handling
freighters from every corner
of the world as well as a vast
array of products and produce
carried onboard international
passenger flights. The teams
of specialists serving WFS’
portfolio of airline clients at
JFK ensure every shipment,
from essential medical supplies,
defense products, and
e-commerce parcels, as well
as copious volumes of general
cargo, are handled in the timeliest,
safest, and secure manner
to keep supply chain moving
across the country. This
includes the GDP certified
pharma facility at JFK, part
of WFS’ global investment
program to support the requirements
of thepharmaceutical
industry and airline and
logistics providers responsible
for ensuring the strict requirements
for transporting
lifesaving pharmaceuticals
around the world are met for
every shipment.
WFS enjoys a deep and
long-term relationship with
the Port Authority. Mike
Simpson adds: “We regularly
communicate with the Port
Authority to review current
situations and discuss solutions
that improve ground operations
to keep all cargo flowing
safely and securely into
JFK. Security, of course, is
our main priority, as it is for
all stakeholders in the aviation
industry, and WFS’ corporate
security team provides
strict 24/7 monitoring of our
operations. In coordination
with the TSA and CBP, WFS’
digitization programincludes
working on biometrics identification
to uphold federal
regulations to prevent unauthorized
access into secure
areas, to identify and prevent
potential insider threats, and
protect cargoes against attempted
theft.” Investments in
physical security also include
new and additional security
fencing.
2021 AIRPORT V 12 OICE WOMAN OF ACHIEVEMENT
Veteran airport cargo expert
and advocate, Phil Jensen,
also works closely with
WFS colleagues, competitor
members of KAAMCO Cargo
and the JFK Air Cargo Association
on many different initiatives:
specifically reducing
vehicle/truck congestion and
improving mail handling operations.
In conjunction with
trucker representatives Pete
DeBenigno and Port’s Michael
Bednarz, WFS is enhancing
its proprietary program,
ePic, to link directly to
the app managing truck slots
at JFK, reducing vehicle waiting
times and improving the
productivity of customers’
drivers and vehicles. The Port
is also working with warehouse
operators to implement
short term parking solutions
to minimize road congestion
during peak trucking times.
WFS warehouse crews,
which have years of experience
in handling conventional
cargo offloads from freighter
aircraft, have successfully
adapted to cargo-in-cabin
shipments as a result of the-
Covid pandemic. This additional
capacity for cargo carriage
provided essential space
for deliveries of PPE equipment
during the peak of the
outbreak and has also enabled
international carriers to continue
to fly and generate revenues
while waiting for passenger
business to resume.
WFS hasalso been working
with all agencies at JFK
to ensure full compliance of
all cargo documentation with
federal regulations, especially
for new shippers needing
assistance to bring their
products into the country. By
working alongside CBP, WFS
has been successfully helping
to expedite entry for critical
cargo products to the U. S. Another
example of successful
cooperation has been the “rescue
dogs” program created to
prevent animals from being
shipped to certain high-risk
countries overseas. WFS has
also worked with the Port,
CBP and the ARK facility to
establish strict protocols for
the safety and health of dogs
and cats coming into the U.S,
and these established protocols
are now applied to all animal
shipments.
Maintaining JFK’s role
as one of the world’s leading
cargo gateways also requires
long-term investment.Consequently,
improvement to the
infrastructure of cargo buildings
is another core focus of
WFS that complements the
Port’s vision for the development
of the North Cargo
area at JFK. WFS and Aeroterm,
a renowned airport facility
developer, are working
together to plan and build a
new 350,000 square foot stateof
the-art cargo terminal to
replace the old building 260
on North Boundary road.
This facility will be the first
new cargo building at JFK in
many years and provide an
opportunity to design-in new
sustainability systems, such
as solar energy sources and
clean energy consumption,
as well as sophisticated security
and monitoring systems,
the use of electric vehicles,
and truck and dock management
innovations. Aeroterm
and WFS will introduce this
world-class cargo facility at
JFK in concert with the Port’s
long-range plans to modernize
and expand JFK’s cargo capabilities.
Following the opening
of the new cargo facility, redevelopment
will spread across
the JFK North Cargo area and
incorporate initiatives such
as more efficient road access
to off-airport highways to ease
airport congestion.
As a large employer at
JFK, it is equally important
for WFS to understand and
address the needs of its employees,
as the organization
evolves like the rest of the
world in this new post-Covidera.
Safety, health, and opportunity
are key objectives
for WFS to attract and retain
employees who are looking for
career advancement as well as
good wages and benefits.
Craig Smyth, CEO of WFS,
is confident in the future
growth prospects of JFK. He
commented: “WFS congratulates
the Port Authority of
New York and New Jersey on
its centenary. We are proud
to be in partnership with the
Port and the local cargo community
and excited by the
growth potential of JFK. In
support of our strategy, we remain
committed to investing
in our people, facilities and
new digital solutions to deliver
first class safe and secure
cargo handling solutions.”
Craig Smyth Mike Simpson