SATS subsidiary Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has won a five-year contract to operate US Customs and Border Protection (CBp)’s new Centralized Examination Station at New York’s JFK Airport, due to open in early 2025.
It will combine all CBP inspections, a first in the air freight sector, and will also be the first on-airport examination facility at JFK, processing import, export, and USDA (Department of Agriculture) goods. The nearest CES to JFK is currently at Newark Airport, on the other side of the Hudson River.
JFK is North America’s busiest international airport with over 85 international airlines moving around 1.4 million tons of cargo a year through JFK’s 20 on-airport air warehouses.
The CES will be at WFS’ Building 151 at with over 100,000sq ft of warehousing, offices and facilities. WFS said that being close to the ramp would provide fast airside access from the airside and shipments for inspection would be transported to the CES from airline facilities. This would help improve CBP’s efficiency as officers would no longer have to move around the airport to inspect cargo.
WFS will modify the building to CBP requirements and develop customised software, making JFK the first paperless CES. WFS already offers dock management software for processing trucks and digital dashboards to monitor the progress of shipments.
New York JFK is one of WFS’ biggest international cargo stations, serving 40 airlines at eight handling facilities and the handler will increase its cargo capacity by 20% when it opens a new 346,000sq ft terminal in 2025.
CBP port director at JFK, Salvatore Ingrassia, described the new CES said: “The efficiencies realized from this facility will allow CBP to optimise resources and enhance our enforcement efforts to keep bad things, such as dangerous precursor chemicals, goods that infringe on intellectual property rights, and imports that place the American people at risk for their health and safety, out of the commerce of the US.”
He added that the CES would also allow legally imported goods to move through JFK faster and more efficiently.
Chief executive of the Americas at WFS, Mike Simpson, added: “This partnership marks another exciting chapter for WFS and underscores our unwavering commitment to safety, security, and innovation in air cargo handling. We look forward to delivering exceptional service and contributing to the continued success of JFK and the air cargo industry.”