Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) is growing its e-commerce business at Frankfurt Airport, following the signing of a leasing agreement for two cargo terminals at the airport Cargo City South. The ground handler will be supported by freight veteran, Roland Weil, a former executive of Fraport Cargo.
No deckchair, but a new desk, instead. Roland Weil retired from Fraport last year, but he now has a new job that has nothing to do with relaxation. He has been nominated Vice President of Business Development EFFH Germany at WFS, which is part of the Singapore-based SATS Group. EFFH stands for E-commerce & Freight Forwarding Handling. The German subsidiary is a WFS-Fraport JV (51% / 49%). It has rented the former DHL complex in Cargo City South at Frankfurt Airport, based on plans to significantly expand its e-commerce business, in particular. The large facility, which consists of offices and freight terminals, offers suitable operational conditions for this purpose.
Nothing beats experience
With Weil, WFS gains an extremely experienced air freight expert who worked for airlines for 19 years (Delta, Air Canada) and held important management positions at Fraport Cargo for 21 years. The 68-year-old retired from Fraport on 31DEC25 due to his age. On the fringe of the FRA Air Cargo Community conference in early SEP25, he announced that he intended to continue to work in the industry even after his retirement. This became reality on 01JAN26, when he joined WFS – just one day after exiting Fraport. Weil’s strengths are his tremendous insider knowledge of air freight and the contacts he has built up in the industry over the course of his 40-year career. “Anyone who doesn’t know Roland, doesn’t know the air freight landscape in Germany,” an airline manager told CargoForwarder Global.
Expanding the e-commerce business
“WFS has big plans for Germany’s most important air freight hub and wants to expand its freight forwarding and e-commerce business, in particular,” is stated in a WFS press release.
Claus Wagner, Managing Director of FCS, the Frankfurt-based subsidiary of WFS, added: “We are delighted to welcome Roland Weil to the WFS family. In his new role, he will support the development of new products and the expansion of our air cargo handling activities. We are very much looking forward to working with him as we continue to develop our activities in Frankfurt.”
WFS’ Secretary of State
According to information, Weil’s exact responsibilities are not exactly defined yet but will be determined shortly. Given his strong network within the industry, it can be assumed that he will primarily act as a kind of ‘ambassador’ for the company, i.e., by becoming responsible for binding airlines and freight forwarders to the Frankfurt cargo joint venture. In addition, he will show up at international trade shows to fly the WFS flag there and speak in meetings of the local FRA Air Cargo Community. Today, this club includes more than 100 members from various sectors, ranging from Air Canada Cargo to the Luxembourg-based road feeder service (RFS) provider, Wallenborn.
As things stand, Weil’s schedule will be jam-packed in the coming weeks. But that is the wish of the 68-year-old, which he already expressed in SEP25, prior to his official retirement.
