WFS scores three-year Stockholm ground handling deal with Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways chose Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) for a three-year contract to provide cargo handling in Stockholm, where the airline flies 13 times per week from its hub in Doha.

Under the deal, WFS will handle some 12,000 tonnes of cargo per year for Qatar Airways at Stockholm Arlanda Airport. WFS already provides cargo-handling services for the airline in Madrid, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Frankfurt and Paris.

The air cargo handler noted that the contract bolstered its presence in Scandinavian countries, since the increased volumes and efficiencies would help WFS “build growing relationships with major airlines,” said Marc Claesen, WFS’ regional vice president.

Qatar has made a concerted push into European markets recently, building its connectivity with Asia through its Doha hub. Despite a general cooling of airfreight markets in the Gulf region, Qatar Cargo flew 24.8 percent more cargo in FY 2016, carrying 954,191 tonnes between April 2015 and March 2016.