Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has opened a new 25,400 sqm cargo terminal at Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport, expanding its handling capacity for pharmaceuticals, perishables and other high-value and sensitive cargo in one of France’s key industrial and logistics regions.
The Aéroport de Lyon DC1 facility is located at the centre of the airport’s CargoPort zone and directly connected to the airport’s runways. Developed through a partnership between WFS, Aéroports de Lyon, Prologis and the em2c Group, the new terminal centralises WFS’s Lyon operations at a single site and becomes the company’s second-largest operation in France after Paris Charles de Gaulle.
The facility supports WFS’s 380 customers in the Lyon area and is expected to sustain more than 300 direct and indirect jobs. The terminal is designed to streamline cargo flows between landside access points, handling areas and airside operations, reducing handling interruptions and improving the reliability of freight movements.
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Dedicated capacity for temperature-sensitive cargo
A key feature of the new terminal is its 4,400 sqm of temperature-controlled space, designed for specialised and sensitive cargo, including pharmaceuticals and perishables. The facility also has 36 dock doors, five of which are dedicated to aircraft-pallet transfers.
The infrastructure is particularly suited to Lyon’s strong healthcare and biotechnology sectors. WFS previously stated that the temperature-controlled areas would provide GDP-compliant capacity for pharmaceutical shipments and perishables requiring storage between +2°C and +25°C.
The new terminal also strengthens the airport’s ability to handle high-value cargo associated with the region’s pharmaceutical, healthcare and biotechnology industries.
Laurent Bernard, Vice-President of WFS France, said the facility represented a new stage in the company’s presence at Lyon, where WFS began operations in 1971.
“Its design, temperature-controlled areas, and organisation of cargo flows enable us to strengthen our capacity and operational efficiency to handle sensitive and high value goods for our airline and freight forwarder customers,” Bernard said.
Infrastructure designed around cargo flows
The terminal was developed on a 5.2-hectare site and has 25,313 sqm of usable space, according to Aéroports de Lyon. This includes approximately 19,200 sqm of warehouse space, with the 4,400 sqm of cold rooms forming a significant component of the facility. The site also incorporates office and operational areas for WFS.
Prologis developed the facility, while the em2c Group was responsible for design, construction coordination and technical oversight. WFS operates the terminal, with Aéroports de Lyon responsible for its integration into the CargoPort infrastructure and airport operations.
Vincent Sadé, Vice President and Head of Capital Deployment France at Prologis, said the project was designed to align airport constraints, real-estate requirements and WFS’s operational needs within a single facility.
Sustainability incorporated into the design
Environmental performance was incorporated into the project from the planning and construction stages. The terminal is targeting a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating, while the roof has been designed to accommodate a future photovoltaic installation.
The earlier project specification also included solar generation, LED lighting and electric-vehicle charging infrastructure as part of the terminal’s environmental strategy.
Yvan Patet, President of the em2c Group, said the project reflected a joint approach between regional and international partners to incorporate environmental performance into the development while creating infrastructure specifically adapted to air freight requirements.
Strengthening Lyon’s cargo position
Aéroports de Lyon described the opening as a further step in the development of CargoPort, the freight zone at Lyon-Saint Exupéry. The airport identifies the project as part of its strategy to strengthen the region’s logistics infrastructure and competitiveness.
Cédric Fechter, Chairman of the Management Board of Aéroports de Lyon, said the facility strengthens CargoPort through collaboration between WFS, Prologis, em2c and the airport.
The opening also expands the latest generation of cargo infrastructure across the combined SATS and WFS network, which now covers more than 215 stations in 27 countries and trade routes accounting for more than half of global air cargo volume, according to WFS.
With its combination of temperature-controlled capacity, direct runway access and dedicated cargo handling infrastructure, Aéroport de Lyon DC1 is positioned to support the continued growth of pharmaceutical, healthcare, perishables and other high-value freight moving through Lyon and the wider European logistics network.
