WFS Signs 20-Year Lease for New Cargo Warehouse at London Heathrow

Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), a SATS company, has signed a 20-year lease agreement for a new, built-to-suit on-airport cargo facility at London Heathrow Airport, following a successful competitive tender process. The facility is scheduled to become fully operational in 2027.

The 11,000-square-meter warehouse will be located on Southampton Road within Heathrow’s cargo area and is designed to support WFS’ long-term growth strategy at the airport. The site will feature a four-level, 220-position powered cargo handling system with two elevating transfer vehicles, along with other material handling system upgrades, enabling annual throughput capacity of more than 160,000 tonnes.

The new lease reinforces WFS’ position as Heathrow’s largest cargo handler and reflects the airport’s continued importance to UK and international trade. In 2024, Heathrow handled 1.58 million tonnes of cargo, an increase of 10% year over year, with a total value of £215.6 billion.

WFS reported cargo volumes at Heathrow were up 28% in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, driven by airline contract wins and organic growth from existing customers.

“Heathrow is literally flying from a cargo perspective, so it is imperative that we can provide the physical infrastructure to process these growing volumes,” said Chris Beale, managing director UK at WFS. “This new lease reflects our long-term commitment to Heathrow and to our airline and cargo customers.”

Across eight facilities at Heathrow totaling nearly 44,000 square meters, WFS currently handles more than 350,000 tonnes of cargo annually for 12 airlines, including Air India and Riyadh Air. The new warehouse will support both existing and future airline customers and is expected to create up to 100 new jobs when it opens.

The facility will also include dedicated areas for special cargo handling, including pharmaceuticals, perishables, valuables, live animals, express, dangerous goods, and outsize shipments such as vehicles and aircraft engines.