Seven Dnata Cargo staff have been commended by DHL for their outstanding performance while handling a flight which faced last-minute loading changes.

A shipment weighing several tons arrived in Dubai on Singapore Airlines for immediate connection to a DHL flight to Amman. 

The team swung into action, loading the entire shipment into the aircraft. They were ready to leave when a ramp agent advised them of a problem with the weight and balance - a calculation involving permissible and optimum payload weight limit on an aircraft. There was no option but to rearrange some of the containers as the departure time loomed closer.

Peter Janzen, Duty Manager DHL, said: “The Dnata Cargo team had to offload and reload three containers to change their positions. They then managed to load the remaining positions within 15 minutes and the aircraft was off block within our delay time frame. I wish to thank Dnata for their great performance on this day.”

Dnata Cargo is opening the door to a new era with FreightGate, a new generic name for its growing portfolio of cargo terminals at Dubai International Airport and elsewhere in the emirate’s expanding business districts.

The FreightGate name will be used to number Dnata Cargo’s seven terminals, beginning with FreightGate-1, currently the main Cargo Terminal at Dubai International Airport, through to FreightGate-7, scheduled to open at the upcoming Dubai World Central complex during 2007.

The other Dnata Cargo terminals are FreightGate-2, Express Handling Centre at Dubai Cargo Village; FreightGate-3, Economy Cargo Terminal at the Freezone Logistics Centre (FLC); FreightGate-4, Agents’ Terminal at FLC; FreightGate-5, Premium Cargo Terminal at FLC; and FreightGate-6 at Jebel Ali Freezone.

Representatives from the Middle East Logistics Awards (MELA) 2006 made a personal visit to present Dnata Cargo with a plaque commemorating the company’s achievement as runner-up in the Best Logistics Service Provider (Perishable Logistics) category.

K K Jaganathan (Jagi), Vice President Cargo Operations, Dnata, accepted the plaque from Anusha Raju, Senior Communications Executive, MELA.

“MELA 2006 was a momentous event with overwhelming participation from over 600 logistics industry professionals from eight countries in the Middle East,” said Jagi. “We are delighted to be among those celebrated for performance excellence in the field of logistics.”

Ninety volunteers turned up to donate blood during the first blood donation drive to be held at the Dnata Express Handling Centre (EHC).

The donation drive was organised by Dnata Quality Planning as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility Programme, working in conjunction with the Blood Donation Centre at Dubai’s Al Wasl Hospital.

Staff from EHC and Al Wasl Hospital were delighted to see so many willing volunteers attending the mobile donation unit.

The recent World Air Cargo Event (WACE) in Dubai provided a platform for Dnata Cargo to introduce several new initiatives, including the FreightGate-5 terminal and insights into the technological features of CALOGI, the much-awaited e-commerce portal.

The Dnata Cargo stand was a popular stop for trade visitors and industry players alike, thanks to the wealth of information provided on the various air cargo terminal facilities operated by Dnata Cargo in Dubai both on the stand and through  face-to- face meetings as well as in the company’s comprehensive range of literature.

The World Air Cargo Event 2007 was organised under the patronage of HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, President Dubai Department of Civil Aviation, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, and was supported by regional civil aviation authorities and leading trade organisations.

Dubai World Central (DWC), the 140-sq km urban aviation community being built in Jebel Ali, is taking shape with the award of two major construction contracts.

Dubai Logistics City, which is the world's first truly integrated multi-modal logistics platform, is central to Dubai’s business proposition as a global and regional hub for integrated supply chain management and multi-modal transport. The project encompasses all transportation modes, logistics and value added services, such as kitting and assembly, in a single bonded and free zone environment.

Dubai Logistics City comprises a headquarters and office park, forwarders area, light industrial area, warehousing area and the staff village.

Spanning 25 sq km, Dubai Logistics City is designed to ultimately handle 12 million tonnes of air cargo a year in up to 16 air cargo terminals.

Meanwhile, work is moving forward on the first 4.5 km A-380 enabled CAT-III runway that is scheduled for completion by the end of this year.

First flights at World Central (JXB) are expected mid-2008, when the first passenger and cargo terminals will be ready.