The 24-hour Dnata Cargo Customer Care Centre set a new record when it handled nearly 100,000 calls a month between May and August. This represents an increase of 22 per cent against the same period last year.

“The increase in calls was largely due to the opening of the new FreightGate-5, a  fully automated cargo facility for freighters in the Dubai Airport Free Zone, ” said  Narendar Asarpota , Customer Relations Manager.

Dnata’s Customer Care Centre was the region’s first dedicated call centre for the air cargo community, when it was introduced in 2001. 

Geared to handle all service-related queries, the centre serves as a one-stop cargo information hub to provide shippers with a wide range of essential information such as cargo bookings, shipment arrivals, reservations and rates, the status of import, export and transit air waybills and warehouse build-up and break-down shipment status.

The Centre is manned by 14 specially trained team members, including Arabic-speaking staff. Backed by sophisticated call and tracking systems, they are able to efficiently respond to customer queries even during peak periods, as well as monitor and evaluate customer service levels to ensure optimal performance.

Dnata Cargo is also working on a new online solution, Calogi, which will provide customers with the facility to complete their entire cargo shipping transaction – from customs clearance to invoicing –from the comfort of their offices.

Dnata Cargo recently ran a safety awareness campaign covering all cargo terminals (Freightgates 1 to 6).

More than 150 staff, including equipment operators and drivers, attended safety workshops designed to promote a proactive approach to health and safety issues. A key focus was on risk management.

The week-long safety campaign, organised by Dnata Cargo in co-ordination with Dnata Safety Compliance & Training, focused on warehouse safety, safe operation of forklifts and equipment, emergency response to accidents, chemical spillage and fire.

The programme also emphasised the importance of the proper use of personal protective equipment, in line with the quality, environmental and health & safety standards to which Dnata Cargo is certified.

“This was a highly interactive and intensive training campaign aimed at promoting a safe work environment both for our employees, our customers, and the aircraft we deal with,” said Babu K Samuel, Cargo Operations Duty Manger, who heads the Dnata Cargo Safety Committee.

At the end of each session staff members took part in a quiz, with prizes presented to the winners. 
The event concluded with the distribution of certificates and awards during a ceremony at the newly-opened FreightGate 5 in the Dubai Airport Free Zone.

Six drivers were presented with Bronze Najm awards for their exemplary safety records, while 12 Bronze Najms and Najm Merit awards were given to staff members who, combined, had made 36 safety recommendations for improving safety standards.

When the world’s largest carpet shipment arrived in Dubai, a Dnata cargo team made sure it got... the red carpet treatment!

The 15 Iranian carpets – intended for the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahayan mosque in Abu Dhabi - arrived at FreightGate 3 in the Free Zone Logistics Centre on two IL76 aircraft, operated by Aban Air.

Combined, they weighed 28 tons and the largest roll, at 22 metres, had to be offloaded on six, 10ft dollies connected together. Two tractors and an additional forklift were also used to ensure a smooth delivery.

“Manoeuvring the dollies proved to be an unusual challenge for the handling crew when they tried to push through the ramp gate,” said   Kannan Nair (FLC Services Manager). “The entire operation called for extra planning and resources and its success was testament to the FLC team's expertise and professionalism.

Dubai’s position as one of the best established transit hubs for sea-air cargo was underlined by steady growth in the business – and Dnata Cargo is winning its share.

Out of the total 518,319 tons handled by Dnata during 2006-07, sea-air comprised five % of the total with, 25,500 tonnes being handled, an increase of three % compared to same period the year before. 

The sea-air trade saw steady growth during the year, with sea imports from the Far East using Dubai Airport as a gateway for quick onward distribution by Air to Europe and the USA. 

The trade offers the advantages of both forms of transport – speed plus cost savings.

According to industry sources, Dubai has become one of the top seven leading sea-air transport hubs in the world.

The Express Handling Centre (EHC) at FreightGate-2 terminal at the Dubai cargo village was a first in the region – and its continued growth underscores its importance to the industry.

Exclusively dedicated to handling express shipments and parcels, the facility combines unmatched service standards with its position at a strategic location at the centre of the growing economies of the Middle east. 
 
Its success has been underlined by continued growth – up 17% in 2006/07 compared to the previous year, and the growth is predicted to continue.
 
Currently there are 12 tenants in the EHC, including operators such as Aramex, TNT and OCS.

Additionally, a further 15 express operators located in Dubai use the EHC for their operations, while the terminal also complements the operations of FedEx, UPS and DHL, who are located on the North side of the airport, by providing a dedicated team of staff.

The benefits of the EHC include offering express companies that have mutual co-loading agreements rapid connectivity, since they are located under one roof. It also allows them to provide their customers with faster service, since it eliminates the need for them to transport parcels between each other's remote facilities.

Dubai World Central (DWC) – the vast urban aviation community being built around the new Jebel Ali Airport – is on the fast track, thanks to satellite technology.

DWC has teamed with the Dubai Municipality Geographical Information Systems department to use its state-of-the-art e-mapping technology.

Real time aerial and satellite images along with global positioning (GPS) coordinates will enable DWC staff and contractors to closely identify utility services, urban land plans and land use blueprints within the massive development centred around Dubai World Central International Airport (JXB).

Destined to become the world’s largest airport,  JXB's first runway is nearing completion. Work is also well advanced on the cargo terminal, passenger terminal, Dubai Logistics City headquarters, roads and other infrastructure.