dnata brings ground handling expertise to Manchester International Airport

DUBAI,U.A.E.,& Manchester, UK, 30^th October 2014: – dnata’s UK operations continue to grow with the addition of ground handling services at Manchester International Airport (MAN). This is dnata’s second passenger handling operation in the UK, supplementing its cargo operations at the regional hub. 

The company’s ground handling operations at the airport commenced earlier this week with Emirates’ three daily flights, and, in December, dnata will add Cathay Pacific’s four weekly flights from Hong Kong. To ensure the smooth handling of each flight, dnata hired 110 new employees from the area to support dispatch, along with ramp and passenger services. This more than doubles the company’s employee strength at the airport.

“The UK’s regional hubs are vital connectors of people and cargo,” said Gary Morgan, CEO of dnata’s UK operations. “We had already moved to a larger refurbished cargo handling facility at Manchester Airport earlier this year, and the addition of ground handling services is a vote of confidence in dnata’s services and safety record.”

Each year, Manchester Airport welcomes over 21 million passengers. dnata has invested close to GBP 2 million in facilities, technology, and equipment to deliver ground handling services at the airport. The company will use a large range of ground support equipment to handle passengers and baggage for its airline customers.

“We welcome dnata’s investment into their operation at Manchester and are confident they will continue to grow their services, as we also continue to add passenger numbers and more routes at the airport,” said Andrew Cowan, Chief Operating Officer for Manchester Airports Group (MAG) . We want to ensure we have the best performance on the airfield so that airlines are able to provide the best standards to their passengers and dnata will be an important part of that overall process.”

This year, dnata has expanded its UK presence to include seven of the region’s busiest airports. The company currently provides ground and cargo handling services at London Heathrow, and cargo handling at Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham, East Midlands, Newcastle, and Gatwick airports. dnata currently employs 2,400 people across the region, handling over 25,000 aircraft turns a year, and over 600,000 tonnes of cargo.