Vietnam Airlines has appointed Bangkok Flight Services (BFS), the joint venture subsidiary of Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) in Thailand, as its new cargo handler at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

BFS, which was awarded the contract following a tender process by the airline, will handle approximately 12,000 tonnes of cargo per annum for Vietnam Airlines, which operates Airbus A321, A350 and Boeing 787 flights ex Bangkok to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam Airlines currently operates between five and seven passenger freighter flights per week between the two countries. The schedule is expected to increase once Covid quarantine rules are lifted in Thailand and Vietnam and passenger travel subsequently recovers. This will also provide additional cargo capacity for the high volumes of general and perishables cargoes traditionally carried on the route.

Stewart Sinclair, Managing Director of BFS, said: “Adding Vietnam Airlines to our customer portfolio in Bangkok is a very significant win for our cargo operation. The airline is successfully supporting their customers with regularly passenger freighter flights each week and we look forward to seeing flight operations grow and cargo volumes increase as Covid restrictions are eased.”

In 2021, Vietnam Airlines also chose WFS as its new cargo handling partner in Amsterdam, initially supporting the airline’s Airbus A350-900 passenger freighter aircraft flights connecting freight forwarders, importers and exporters in Amsterdam and Vietnam’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport.   

BFS was established in 2004 as a joint venture between WFS, the world’s largest cargo handler, and Bangkok Airways. It is the leading independent handler at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, where BFS also offers full passenger and ramp services. Prior to Covid, BFS was handling over 230 flights a day for more than 60 airlines, and some 475,000 tonnes of cargo per annum in its 55,700 sqm cargo terminal at the airport.