28 October 2018 · AV I A T I O N B U S I N E S S http://www.aviationbusinessme.com
DNATA
13.1bn). In the 2017 fi scal year, dnata achieved its highest profi t to date with an impressive $359m (AED 1.3bn), as well as record revenues of $3.6bn (AED
D
espite an enduring
history dating back to
1959, it’s only within the
last decade that Dubai-
based aviation services provider
dnata managed to move beyond the
confines of the UAE market.
In just 10 years, the company, which
is part of the Emirates Group, has grown
from a small but respected player in the
industry, to a global powerhouse that is
today active across 85 countries.
Back in May 2018, the aviation ser-
vices provider unveiled its fi nancial
performance for the 2017 year, in which
it announced that it had achieved its
highest profi t to date with $359m (AED
1.3bn). During the same period, dnata
a lso saw record revenues of $3 .6bn (A ED
13.1bn), a sizeable portion of which (68%)
was attributed to the progress of its in-
ternational business.
“Over the last two to three years, we have
While the company’s operating costs
increased by 8% to reach $3.2bn (AED
11.9bn), it did secure a record high cash
balance of $1.3bn (AED 4.9bn). Revenues
of dnata’s UAE airports operations, which
includes both ground and cargo han-
dling, grew by 4% to reach $859m (AED
3.2bn), while the company’s International
Airport Operations division’s revenues
increased by 14% to hit $1bn (AED 3.8bn).
Serving 309 airlines from around the
world, the aviation services provider
currently operates within 127 airports;
75 involved in ground handling, 60 in
catering and 44 in cargo operations.
Despite a push for rapid global expan-
sion in recent years, momentum for the
current and upcoming year has slowed
dramatically. Instead of aggressively
pursuing new acquisitions, the current
strateg y is foc used more on consol idation.
“A lot of the strategy around 2018 has
been about the integration and optimis-Over the last two to
three years, we have
expanded a lot by ac-
quisition ... we had
fi ve acquisitions that
grew our business
quite signifi cantly
and we entered key
markets in Canada,
USA and Brazil.”expanded a lot by acquisition ... we had fi ve
acquisitions that grew our business quite
signifi cantly and we entered key markets
in Canada, USA and Brazil,” comments
Stewart Angus, divisional senior vice presi-
dent of International Airport Operations
& Associated Companies, dnata.