FCS Frankfurt Cargo Services, LUG aircargo handling and Perishable Center Frankfurt (PCF) test all staff
In the first week of January, a large-scale Corona test operation by the three air freight handling companies FCS Frankfurt Cargo Services, LUG aircargo handling and Perishable Center Frankfurt (PCF) took place at Frankfurt Airport. In total, around 1,500 employees were tested at CargoCity Süd, who together handle around 40 percent of the air freight at Frankfurt Airport. For several days, the Bensheim-based company Chemlab carried out the tests on site. The aim of the measure is to ensure even better protection of the workforce against infection in the company.
Especially since the Corona crisis, the personnel around freight handling has been strongly demanded. Despite the elimination of a large part of passenger flights, far more freight was handled at Frankfurt Airport recently than in the previous year. The employees of FCS Frankfurt Cargo Services and LUG aircargo handling moved up to three times more packages. This is mainly due to the high quantities of imported protective equipment and medical goods. The staff is on duty around the clock to get goods safely and quickly on the move during the Corona Crisis.
For Claus Wagner, Managing Director of FCS, the test campaign is another building block in the company’s infection protection concept: “The WFS Group, to which the FCS belongs, has taken consistent protective measures since the beginning of the pandemic. Even in times with lower case numbers in public, we have paid great attention to compliance with the mask obligation and our hygiene concepts. The health of our employees is also in the foreground for our shareholder WFS Worldwide Flight Services and Fraport AG. After the holidays, our workforce should be able to return to work with a sense of security. As one of the largest freight handlers at Frankfurt Airport, we must maintain our operational logistics processes for air cargo handling at all times.”
Nina Strippel, site manager and COO at LUG aircargo handling, also emphasizes the importance of the tests: “We established a crisis unit in the company at an early stage, which continuously advised and initiated measures adapted to the respective situation. Through consistent implementation, we comprehensively protect our personnel. The protection of our employees is our top priority, which is why we have made a strong commitment to the testing that has now been carried out.”
The Perishable Center Frankfurt (PCF), Europe’s largest cargo handling centre for perishable goods, is also taking part in the test campaign. “Operational logistics personnel have no way of using the protection of home office regulations. Presence here is systemically important and we must protect our employees in the best possible way. The rapid test action also gives families a bit of security,” says Rainer Wittenfeld, Managing Director of the PCF.
Chemlab Managing Director Harald Störk is satisfied with the action: “The execution of the tests during the ongoing shift operation was a logistical challenge, which we were able to successfully overcome together with the freight handlers. Thanks to the good and flexible interaction of all the companies involved, we were able to test all people quickly and efficiently.”
