Royal Jordanian Airlines has awarded a contract for cargo handling at London Heathrow and the UK and Ireland's regional airports to Worldwide Flight Services (WFS).

The contract takes effect from November 20th 2008.

At Heathrow, WFS will provide a full cargo handling service to Royal Jordanian at its 110,000 sq ft Building 550 at the airport. The airline operates daily Airbus A310 passenger and cargo services, each with 12 tons of cargo capacity, between London and Amman as well as a twice weekly A310F freighter operation from and to Amman offering a further 36 tons of uplift. Under the terms of the agreement, WFS will also be responsible for ramp transportation and loading and unloading of the A310F services as well as providing UK and Ireland coastwise trucking for Royal Jordanian.

Royal Jordanian Airlines' personnel will also relocate to offices in Building 550.

Royal Jordanian

Samir Risheq, Royal Jordanian Airlines' Regional Director UK, Ireland and Holland, said: 'We are continually trying to improve services for our customers on the ground and in the air. Cargo handling is certainly one of those areas that we have focused on in order to achieve a positive change in this area of service. WFS were selected from a list of five ground handlers that were invited to bid for the Royal Jordanian contract. WFS is an international company that offers world class service, which is encouraging given the other Royal Jordanian locations around the globe. It also demonstrated its ability to provide the best value.'

Mike Stewart, Commercial Director of WFS in the UK, added: 'This is a great opportunity for WFS to build a lasting relationship with a progressive and quality airline such as Royal Jordanian. It is our intention to now work closely with the Royal Jordanian team to help them build their business across the UK & Ireland.'

WFS' network in the UK and Ireland was extended by a further 11 stations in the UK regions and Ireland earlier this year when it acquired a majority shareholding in British Airways Regional Cargo. These locations now operate under the Worldwide Flight Services brand.