Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has introduced its CargoKiosk’ technology to process trucks and drivers making cargo deliveries and collections at London Heathrow airport.

Drivers arriving on-site no longer have to go to the station reception desk for paperwork to be checked manually before they are assigned a loading bay but instead the vehicle and cargo authorisation process is completed electronically prior to the truck arriving. The driver simply has to enter their ID and follow the touchscreen prompts on the kiosk to conduct the full acceptance and delivery process. When a suitable door becomes available, they receive an SMS or app notification and begin loading or unloading their cargo.

WFS first introduced the CargoKiosk technology in Brussels in 2019 and in Amsterdam this summer. Following next month’s launch at Heathrow, 2022 will see the

digital process introduced at other major cargo stations, including Paris-CDG, Liege, Barcelona, Madrid, Milan and Frankfurt. WFS is also developing similar concepts for its operations at New York JFK and in South Africa.

WFS executive vice president, EMEAA, John Batten, said;

“Given the severe shortage of truck drivers internationally, our customers value all initiatives which save their drivers time and improve their productivity. Using CargoKiosk, we can support this by removing the need to wait at the reception counter on arrival.”

Qatar Airways Cargo has signed a handling agreement with SAL Saudi Logistics Services at the kingdom’s main airports, including Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Medina. SAL is the leading air cargo handler in Saudi Arabia with operations at all main gateways.
SAL chief executive Hesham Alhussayen said: “Over the year and a half, SAL has responded to the Covid pandemic by boosting our operational efficiencies to meet the unprecedented demands of handling a wide variety of emergency, medical, and other life essential goods to those who need them most. This journey reinforced our belief in the power of partnerships and, as such, we have signed several cooperation agreements to expand our ground handling and logistics services even further.”
Chief officer cargo at Qatar Airways Guillaume Halleux, commented: “Through our agreement with SAL Saudi Logistics Services, we will be offering fast and efficient handling for all types of cargo including cool chain cargo at Saudi Arabia’s main airports. SAL and Qatar Airways Cargo share a common vision of customer centricity and service excellence.”