WFS buys out partners in WFS Ireland joint venture

Paris-based Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) is now the full owner of its former joint venture WFS Ireland, after buying out the minority stakes of its partners, Gerry Jackson and Brendan Byrne. The deal was completed at the end of March.

Jackson retired from WFS Ireland at the end of 2017, but Byrne will remain in his role as president of WFS Ireland, which has operated for the past 13 years with WFS as majority stakeholder. The jv buy-out by WFS prefaces another investment in Ireland, as WFS plans to undertake a 70 percent expansion of its temperature-controlled facilities in Dublin for improved pharmaceutical handling.

In Ireland, WFS serves more than 50 airlines including Air China, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Emirates Airline, IAG Cargo, Lufthansa, SAS and SWISS International Airlines. WFS Ireland covers cargo handling stations in Dublin, Cork and Shannon. During 2017, volumes handled at the three stations increased to more than 45,000 tonnes. In 2018 so far, WFS has signed a new five-year cargo handling contract with Emirates and received new contracts from Air Arabia (Maroc) and Norwegian.