30 October 2018 · AV I A T I O N B U S I N E S S http://www.aviationbusinessme.com
DNATA
contracts. Over the last 12 months, the aviation services provider secured over 90 new customer
ing the performances of those businesses
that we acquired in previous years ...
don’t expect signifi cant acquisition an-
nouncements on the ground handling
side,” explains Angus.
“Having said that, we are always look-
ing for opportunistic chances to expand
and I expect we will do one or two rela-
tively small acquisitions. But I think they
will be quite discerning and they will be
more about fi lling in the gaps rather than
moving to new geographical territories.”
While there hasn’t been a lot of acquisi-
tive growth over 2018, the SVP shares that
there has been a lot of organic growth
driven by the provision of additional
ser v ices i n a i r por ts t hat d nata is a l ready
active within.
Part of this includes the launch of
Another recent development this year
was dnata’s stake increase with ground
handler Airport Handling SPA. Back in
July, dnata exercised its option to acquire
a 40% stake in the Milan-based entity,
bringing its total interest to 80%.
Founded in 2014, Airport Handling
delivers a wide range of passenger, ramp
and baggage services at Milan’s Malpensa
(MXP) and Linate (LIN) airports. Building
upon the original investment that was
conducted back in 2016, dnata’s further
venture with Airport Handling bolsters
its already sizeable presence in the Italian
market, which consists of catering facili-
ties in 22 airports.
In terms of its portfolio of clients, dnata
has managed to secure a sizeable number
of new customer contracts.
“In the past 12 months, we have won
over 90 new customer contracts ... what’s
particularly pleasing is those 90 con-
tracts are with the airlines that we want
to work with, such as Etihad, Air France,
KLM, Lufthansa, Japan Airlines, as well
as the Chinese carriers,” says Angus.
“But some of the contracts are with air-
lines who in fi ve to ten years will be power-
houses in the industry, such as Norwegian,
Air Baltic and Ethiopian Airlines.”
When asked about upcoming projects,
the SVP shares that there are two op-
erations set to go l ive w it h i n t he c u r rent
year. The fi rst, which is set to start in
November, is a ground handling operation
with both passenger and ramp services at
Los Angeles International Airport.
Though tight-lipped about the opera-
tion, Angus was able to share that dnata
has already started a recruitment drive
for the operation, and that there would
be four launch customers that it would
be working with at the airport.
The second project aims to tap into the
cargo market of Brussels, an area that
dnata has reportedly received requests
f rom c ustomer a i rl i nes to enter. A l ready
on the ground and searching for a viable
cargo facility, dnata aims to launch this
operation in December.
The move is one of the many recent
undertakings by the company to ad-three new lounges and the increase of
cargo capacity at seven airports across
the world. Also this year, dnata begun
ground handling work at two Greenfi eld
projects in Amsterdam, Netherlands,
and Nashville, USA.
Last August, the company launched
passenger handling operations at JFK
Airport in New York, where it is oper-
ating in terminals four and eight with
launch customer Copa Airlines, the fl ag
carrier of Panama.
“When you add all those up, there is
quite a significant growth in service
capability in those airports, and it’s
really that growth that has driven
what was last year a 15% increase in
revenues for us in the international
businesses,” shares Angus.DID YOU KNOW?
Established in 1959, the Dubai National Air
Transport Association (dnata) is one of the largest
suppliers of aviation services. Part of the Emirates
Group, dnata’s core off erings include aircraft
ground handling, cargo and fl ight catering.