Under the new agreement, dnata will support Air Macau’s daily operations in Singapore, producing an estimated 54,000 meals annually across business and economy cabins.

With the addition of Air Macau, dnata now caters for all Air China Group airlines operating in Singapore – Air China, Shenzhen Airlines, Shandong Airlines and Air Macau – handling a combined 5,100 flights and 580,000 meals per year for the group at Changi.

The milestone builds on a well-established relationship, with dnata supporting Air China for over 20 years, alongside nearly a decade of partnerships with Shenzhen Airlines and Shandong Airlines in Singapore.

Matthew Igo Ball, Managing Director, dnata Catering & Retail Singapore, said: “Welcoming Air Macau into our portfolio further strengthens our long-standing partnership with the Air China Group in Singapore. We support the group’s full network at Changi Airport, delivering more than half a million meals annually across its operations.

"This scale reflects the trust our partners place in our teams, and our ability to deliver consistent, high-quality inflight dining at pace. As we continue to grow with our airline customers, our focus remains on operational excellence and menus that meet the evolving expectations of international travellers.”

Operating from its 23,000-square-metre facility at Singapore Changi Airport, dnata Catering & Retail Singapore delivers inflight dining and retail solutions at scale, producing approximately 6.5 million meals annually for more than 30 airline customers. The operation is supported by a team of over 500 employees, combining culinary expertise with operational reliability to serve a diverse portfolio of international carriers.

Inspired by dnata’s catering facility in Melbourne, the microfarm enables culinary teams to cultivate selected herbs onsite for use in menu development. Since its introduction in 2025, the initiative has supported more than a dozen menu presentations and contributed to improved freshness, reduced waste, sustainability and enhanced menu creativity.

Herbs are harvested daily and incorporated into dishes served across 26 airline customers in Melbourne, highlighting how hyper‑local cultivation can deliver meaningful impact within large‑scale airline catering environments. Building on its success, dnata is set to expand the microfarm concept to additional catering facilities in 2026, including Brisbane, Sydney and Perth.

At WTCE, the live installation will feature a 96‑punnet microfarm cabinet, demonstrating how chefs integrate freshly harvested ingredients into menu design, with approximately 60 dishes already influenced by the initiative.

Robin Padgett, CEO of dnata Catering & Retail, said: “As passenger expectations continue to evolve, airlines are placing greater emphasis on freshness, creativity and inclusivity in onboard dining.

“Our presence at WTCE highlights how dnata is responding through initiatives such as our microfarm and the continued evolution of special meals, working closely with our partners to enhance both the quality and relevance of the onboard experience.”

Elevating special meals and passenger experience

Alongside the microgarden showcase, dnata will highlight its refined approach to special meals, reflecting growing airline focus on catering to diverse dietary, cultural and lifestyle requirements.

Special meals play an important role in shaping passenger perceptions of onboard dining and offer a valuable opportunity to enhance overall satisfaction. dnata currently supports 20 special meal categories.

At WTCE, visitors will experience a curated selection of dishes demonstrating culinary creativity, precision and the operational expertise required to deliver special meals consistently at global scale. Some dishes include:

• Slow cooked vegetable tagine, freekeh pilaf, preserved lemon and date chutney (VGML, VLML, MOML, HNML, NLML)*
• Crab ravioli with whipped ricotta, fennel salad and kombu beurre blanc (SFML, MOML)*
• Lemon Garlic and sumac chicken with green beans, braised puy lentils, macadamia dukkah and cherry tomato confit (HNML, MOML, DBML)*
• Sweetcorn panna cotta with charred corn, miso butterscotch and croute (VLMV, GFML, MOML)*

Integrated catering and retail solutions

dnata will also present elements of its onboard retail offering, highlighting how integrated catering and retail solutions can support airline differentiation and unlock ancillary revenue opportunities.

The company currently supports five major airline retail programmes globally, offering end-to-end programme management underpinned by market-leading data and analytics. dnata manages over US$200 million in retail stock through its strategic supply chain teams and powers more than 40 million transactions annually across its retail programmes.

Industry collaboration and engagement

Through its participation at WTCE, dnata aims to engage airline customers, suppliers and industry stakeholders in conversations around culinary innovation, personalisation and sustainability, while strengthening relationships across its global network.

WTCE: a leading global industry event

WTCE is the leading global event for the travel catering, onboard retail, and passenger comfort industries. In 2026, the event is taking place between 14-16 April in Hamburg, Germany.

Note to editors:

• VGML – Vegan meal
• VLML – Vegetarian lacto-ovo meal
• MOML – Muslim meal
• HNML – Hindi non-vegetarian meal
• NLML – No lactose meal
• SFML – Seafood meal
• DBML – Balanced diet meal
• GFML – Gluten intolerant meal

A new survey by the catering and retail arm of dnata, one of the world’s largest travel and aviation service providers, reveals that nearly half of UK passengers now put health and wellbeing at the heart of their inflight choices, signalling a shift towards lighter, more functional food in the skies.

According to the nationwide poll of 2,000 adults, 47% of UK flyers surveyed are/would be more conscious of wellness over indulgence when selecting meals and drinks onboard than they were five years ago. More than half (56%) want fresh, minimally processed ingredients, while 50% say airlines should offer low-sugar or low-carb options to better reflect modern eating habits.

From hydration-focused menus to immune-supporting snacks, travellers are bringing the same expectations they set for themselves at the start of the year into their time in the air.

Wellness takes off

Health and wellbeing are increasingly shaping how passengers approach flying, with inflight food and drink now seen as part of a broader self-care routine. This is reflected in what travellers want to see onboard, with 53% calling for more hydrating food and drink options such as electrolyte water and vitamin-infused beverages, 45% looking for more protein-rich meals, and 46% wanting low-calorie or portion-controlled meals.

The rise of the functional flyer

The appetite for functional nutrition is taking off. Nearly one in five passengers (19%) said they would pay extra for inflight meals or drinks that support gut health or immunity, while around 41% say they have already swapped alcohol for juices or vitamin-infused beverages when flying.1

Younger travellers are leading this shift, steering the inflight experience towards a balance of health and enjoyment – favouring protein-forward meals, plant-based dishes, and beverages designed to hydrate and revitalise.

“Inflight dining is evolving just as fast as the passengers it serves,” said Robin Padgett, CEO of Catering & Retail at dnata. “Passengers are paying more attention to how meals make them feel during a journey, and wellness is becoming part of what a good travel experience looks like.”

Raising the bar on inflight wellbeing

While 46% agree airline food has improved in recent years, 41% believe wellness options still lag behind, highlighting an opportunity for airlines to continue evolving their menus.

With the UK’s functional food market now valued at more than £1.6 billion, consumer expectations are rising beyond taste alone to include nutrition, transparency and provenance.

Airline meals are increasingly being judged through the lens of everyday eating habits. From gut-friendly kombucha to balanced grain bowls and protein snacks, passengers want inflight menus to reflect how they eat in real life.

The future of food in flight

As passenger expectations continue to change, inflight catering is being shaped by a growing focus on balance, freshness and function, alongside the operational demands of serving food at altitude and at scale.

In the UK, dnata Catering & Retail operates at significant scale, serving 22 airline customers and producing around 20.5 million meals annually. The business supports more than 1,000 flights a day, with meals prepared by a team of 225 UK-based chefs working across dnata’s catering facilities nationwide. This footprint places dnata at the centre of evolving inflight food trends, offering a real-time view of how passenger expectations around health and wellness are shaping airline menus.

Drawing on consumer insight and industry experience, dnata Catering & Retail works with airline partners to understand how these preferences are influencing menu development and onboard offerings.

“Our research backs what we’re hearing across the industry,” Padgett added. “Passengers are embracing lighter, fresher, more functional meals, and airlines are increasingly thinking about how inflight food fits into the wider travel experience.”

About the survey

The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 2,000 nationally representative respondents. The data was collected between 18.07.2025-21.07.2025. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. Censuswide is also a member of the British Polling Council.

The agreement covers a five-year inflight retail contract alongside the remaining five-year contract of dnata’s hub catering services, reflecting Aer Lingus’ confidence in the company’s end-to-end operational expertise. The expanded retail operations cover over 180 Aer Lingus flights daily across Dublin, Shannon, Cork, and Manchester bases.

Under this new partnership, dnata is responsible for the full management of the retail programme, from product sourcing and procurement to warehousing and technology provision. The collaboration will continue to evolve, introducing new ways for customers to browse and personalise their onboard shopping, with the range shaped by feedback to reflect passenger preferences and enhance the inflight experience.

Robin Padgett, CEO of dnata Catering & Retail, said: “This partnership takes our collaboration with Aer Lingus to the next level – uniting our expertise in catering, retail, and technology to create an exceptional onboard experience. Together, we’re delivering a modern, data-driven retail programme that celebrates Irish brands, improves efficiency, and enhances passenger choice.”

The new inflight retail range showcases a thoughtfully curated mix of local Irish and international brands, reflecting Aer Lingus’ signature warmth and hospitality.  Customers can look forward to homegrown favourites such as Sculpted by Aimee, Tan Organic, BPerfect, and The Smooth Company, alongside Deli-Lites, which provides freshly made Irish sandwiches and wraps. 

The launch coincides with Aer Lingus’ festive season menu, featuring seasonal favourites such as the festive turkey and stuffing sandwich, Christmas cheese and cracker box, as well as holiday-themed gift items. 

Looking ahead, customer feedback will play a central role in shaping the evolving onboard range, ensuring future offerings continue to reflect customer tastes and the best of Irish hospitality.

To elevate convenience and accessibility, customers can browse the onboard magazine “Bia” digitally before their flight and purchase featured products directly on board. The initiative is powered by dnata’s integrated retail technology ecosystem, enabling contactless payments, real-time data analytics, and self-serve reporting capabilities that support Aer Lingus in driving data-led decisions and operational efficiency.

Adrian Dunne, Chief Operations Officer, Aer Lingus, said: “The addition of inflight retail to the existing partnership we have with dnata will drive significant operational benefits, whilst enhancing our customer experience at the same time. The programme will be delivered via a new crew iOS app, which will allow for a data-driven product range tailored to our customers’ preferences and proudly showcasing a wide selection of Irish brands.”

The new programme will serve more than 10.5 million Aer Lingus customers annually, offering a refreshed onboard experience and new opportunities for innovation across both retail and catering.

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. With a global team of over 10,400 professionals, the company produces more than 110 million meals annually, serving full-service, low-cost, and VIP carriers from over 60 locations worldwide.

After accounting for income tax charges, the Group’s profit after tax is AED 10.6 billion (US$ 2.9 billion).

Illustrating its strong operating profitability, the Group maintained a robust EBITDA of AED 21.1 billion (US$ 5.7 billion), 3% higher than the AED 20.4 billion (US$ 5.6 billion) reported for the same period last year.

Group revenue was AED 75.4 billion (US$ 20.6 billion) for the first six months of 2025-26, up 4% from AED 70.8 billion (US$ 19.3 billion) last year.

The Group closed the first half year of 2025-26 with a record cash position of AED 56.0 billion (US$ 15.2 billion) on 30 September 2025, compared to AED 53.4 billion (US$ 14.6 billion) on 31 March 2025. The Group has been able to tap on its own strong cash reserves to support business needs, including payments for new aircraft deliveries and other debt. The Group also paid AED 2 billion (US$ 545 million) in dividend to its owner, as declared at the end of its 2024-25 financial year.

His Highness (HH) Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group said: “The Group has once again delivered an outstanding performance, surpassing our half-year results of last year to achieve a new record profit for H1 2025-26. I’m delighted to note that Emirates maintains its position as the world’s most profitable airline for this half-year reporting period.

“We saw benefit from lower fuel prices and a favourable currency exchange environment, but primarily, it was the unflagging demand and growing customer preference for our product and services that drove revenue growth and profitability.

“Emirates and dnata have invested billions to continually enhance our products and services, to bring new products to market, to improve our operations through innovation and technology, and to look after our employees who ensure our customers’ safety and satisfaction. These are core to our DNA. 

“The Group’s strong profitability enables us to continue making these investments, and to scale up our proven business models in concert with Dubai’s growth as a global city of choice for talent, for businesses, and for tourists.”

HH Sheikh Ahmed added: “Global demand for air transport and travel services has been buoyant, despite geo-political events and economic concerns in some markets. We expect this demand resilience to continue for the rest of 2025-26 and look forward to increasing our capacity to grow revenues as new A350 aircraft join the Emirates fleet, and new facilities come online at dnata.”

To support increased operations and business activities, the Emirates Group’s employee base, compared to 31 March 2025, grew 3% to an overall count of 124,927 on 30 September 2025. Both Emirates and dnata have ongoing recruitment drives to support their future requirements.

dnata

dnata saw strong growth in the first six months of 2025-26, as it continued to ramp up operations across its cargo and ground handling, catering and retail, and travel services businesses.

In the first half of 2025-26, dnata’s airport services and catering and retail divisions won several significant new contracts and grew existing customers across its international operations. This shows dnata’s ability to serve the diverse requirements of its airline customers with high safety standards and consistently high-quality products and services.

dnata continued to make strategic investments in its business to respond to customer needs and tap on market prospects. It announced plans to deploy 800 new ground support equipment (GSE) units across its global network in 2025, an investment valued at US$ 110 million to further enhance operational performance and secure a steady supply of advanced, lower-emission equipment to support dnata’s growth and sustainability targets.

Other highlights in the first half of 2025-26 include: the launch of its airport hospitality brand, marhaba, in the United Kingdom; a €3 million minority stake investment in WonderMiles, an advanced NDC-enabled booking platform to strengthen dnata Travel’s corporate business offering; and the disposal of its 75% stake in Super Bus, which operates sightseeing tours in the UAE.

dnata also entered its first major sports sponsorship partnership, signing a three-year agreement with Dubai Basketball to become a Founding Partner of the city’s first professional basketball franchise.

dnata’s revenue, including other operating income, of AED 11.7 billion (US$ 3.2 billion) increased by 13% compared to AED 10.4 billion (US$ 2.8 billion) generated in the same period last year.

Overall profit before tax for dnata is AED 843 million (US$ 230 million), up by 17% from the same period last year. dnata’s profit after tax is AED 697 million (US$ 190 million).

Illustrating its operating profitability, dnata’s EBITDA was AED 1.4 billion (US$ 372 million), up 5% from last year’s AED 1.3 billion (US$ 354 million).

dnata’s airport operations remains the largest contributor to revenue with AED 5.5 billion (US$ 1.5 billion), a 15% increase compared to the same period last year, as its airline customers’ operations continued to pick up particularly in Italy, Australia, the UK and the UAE.  Across its operations, the number of aircraft turns handled by dnata increased by 15% to 450,903 bolstered by its newly launched operations at Rome Fiumicino Airport, and it recorded 1.59 million tonnes of cargo handled, up by 3% due to additional cargo handling driven by its UAE operations.

dnata’s flight catering and retail operations, contributed AED 4.1 billion (US$ 1.1 billion) to its revenue, up 11% as its retail product grew significantly as part of the division’s strategy, catering production increases in Australia and the UK to meet customer demand, and the positive impact of revised contracts to reflect rising supply costs. The overall number of meals uplifted slightly decreased by 1% to 60.0 million meals compared to last year.

dnata's travel division contributed AED 2.0 billion (US$ 538 million) to revenue, up 11% compared to AED 1.8 billion (US$ 483 million) for the same period last year.  The division reported an underlying total transactional value (TTV) of AED 5.0 billion (US$ 1.4 billion), compared to AED 4.5 billion (US$ 1.2 billion), up 9% compared to the same period last year.

Emirates airline

Emirates continued to enhance its network and connectivity options through its Dubai hub.  During the first half of 2025-26, Emirates launched new flight services to: Danang, Siem Reap, Shenzhen and Hangzhou. At 30 September, Emirates’ passenger and cargo network spanned 153 airports in 81 countries and territories.

The airline strengthened its network connectivity by deploying 28 additional weekly scheduled flights to: Antananarivo, Johannesburg, Muscat, Rome, Riyadh and Taipei.

Providing even more connection options for customers, during the first six months of 2025-26, Emirates entered agreements with 3 codeshare and interline partners: Air Seychelles, Condor, and Aurigny.

Between 1 April and 30 September, Emirates received delivery of 5 new A350 aircraft, adding more Business Class and Premium Economy seats into the airline’s inventory.  During this period, 23 aircraft (6 A380s, 17 Boeing 777s) with fully refreshed interiors rolled out of the airline’s US$ 5 billion retrofit programme. This enabled Emirates to bring its latest cabin products to even more markets, including the industry-leading Emirates Premium Economy. By 30 September, Emirates Premium Economy was available to customers flying between Dubai and 61 cities.

On ground, “Emirates First” opened at Dubai Airport, offering First Class customers and Platinum Skywards members a luxurious private check-in area and experience. In the first six months of 2025-26, Emirates accelerated the roll-out of its retail strategy with the opening of new concept travel stores in Accra, Bangkok, Geneva, Jakarta, Mauritius, Osaka, Seoul, Singapore.

Emirates continued to progress on its environmental initiatives, uplifting sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) where available and feasible, including at 37 airports.  In April, Emirates joined the Aviation Circularity Consortium (ACC), a network of organisations committed to building a circular economy for aviation and creating new pathways to accelerate decarbonisation through high-value circularity in the global supply chain.

In the first half of 2025-26, Emirates made notable investments to boost its global brand visibility. The airline signed multi-year sponsorship deals to become Platinum Partner of FC Bayern Munchen, Official Main Sponsor of Real Madrid Basketball, and Premium Partner and Official Airline Partner of the Investec Champions Cup and European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) Challenge Cup. Emirates also extended its partnership with ATP as Premier Partner and Official Airline of the ATP Tour up to 2030, and its shirt sponsorship with Olympique Lyonnais until 2030. 

Overall capacity during the first six months of the year increased by 5% to 31.3 billion Available Tonne Kilometres (ATKM) due to expanded flight operations. Capacity measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASKM), increased by 5%, whilst passenger traffic carried measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPKM) was up by 4% with an average Passenger Seat Factor of 79.5%, compared with 80.0% during the same period last year. Emirates carried 27.8 million passengers between 1 April and 30 September 2025, up 4% from the same period last year.

Emirates SkyCargo transported 1.25 million tonnes in the first six months of the year, up by 4% compared to the same period last year. Customer demand for Emirates SkyCargo’s specialised products and excellent network of freighter and bellyhold cargo operations remained steady. However, cargo yields decreased by 6% due to softening demand in some market segments amidst tariff concerns.

Emirates SkyCargo added capacity from 3 new Boeing 777 freighter delivered. In April, the cargo division launched Emirates Courier Express, an innovative product that leverages the power of the airline’s global network to provide door-to-door express shipping services for businesses.

Cementing its position as the world’s most profitable airline for the half year reporting period, Emirates profit before tax for the first half of 2025-26 hit a new record of AED 11.4 billion (US$ 3.1 billion), compared to AED 9.7 billion (US$ 2.6 billion) last year. Emirates profit after tax is AED 9.9 billion (US$ 2.7 billion).

Emirates revenue, including other operating income, of AED 65.6 billion (US$ 17.9 billion) was up 6% compared with AED 62.2 billion (US$ 16.9 billion) for the same period last year. The airline’s new record revenue can be attributed to unabated travel appetite across markets, and customer preference for Emirates’ products and services, particularly for its premium cabins.

Emirates’ operating costs (including fuel) grew by 4% in line with increased operations. While average fuel prices were 10% lower compared to the same period last year, fuel remains the largest component of the airline’s operating cost at 30%.

Driven by customer demand and increased operations during the six months, Emirates’ EBITDA of AED 19.7 billion (US$ 5.4 billion) remained strong, up 3% compared to AED 19.1 billion (US$ 5.2 billion) for the same period last year.

Emirates Flight Catering grew revenue from external customers by 13% to AED 555 million (US$ 151 million), uplifting 7.7 million meals (up by 2%) for 116 airlines during the period.

Emirates Leisure Retail acquired the remaining 25% stake in Air Ventures LLC in the US, securing full ownership of the entity, which operates airport retail and F&B outlets.

The venture, set to launch with the opening of the new terminal in April 2027, represents a significant investment in the future of Azerbaijan’s aviation and logistics sectors. It will combine dnata’s global expertise with Silk Way Group’s local market leadership to deliver end-to-end aviation services in Azerbaijan.

Alat International Airport’s advanced logistics facilities will be capable of handling more than 500,000 tonnes of cargo per year, with a projected annual volume growth of 5% over the next decade.

Comprehensive service platform

The joint venture will initially focus on cargo and ground handling, before expanding into catering, freight forwarding, de-icing, and a range of additional services. The aim is to build an integrated one-stop-shop for airlines and airport customers, offering world-class efficiency and service standards, in Baku.

The project is expected to generate over 1,000 local jobs, with investment in skills development and training to create long-term opportunities in Azerbaijan’s aviation sector.

Building on a proven partnership

dnata is a long-standing partner of Silk Way Group. It currently provides a range of air services to Silk Way West Airlines across five countries, handling 1,150 flights and 85,000 tonnes of cargo annually.

Steve Allen, CEO of dnata, said: “Our joint venture with the Silk Way Group is an important step in expanding dnata’s global footprint and supporting the Caucasus region’s rapid growth. Baku’s new airport will be a critical hub for cargo flows in the region, and our investment ensures that airlines and logistics partners have access to safe, quality, and reliable services from day one.

He added: “Beyond operational excellence, this venture reflects our long-term strategy to provide integrated aviation solutions in high-potential markets. We look forward to continuing our successful partnership with Silk Way Group to support Azerbaijan’s aviation and logistics industries, businesses and wider communities.”

Zaur Akhundov, President of Silk Way Group, said: “Our partnership with dnata marks a new milestone in the development of Azerbaijan’s aviation industry. Together, we are shaping a modern ecosystem that will connect the Alat Free Economic Zone with the global aviation and logistics network. This joint venture represents not only an investment in infrastructure but also in people — creating new jobs, developing professional skills, and building a foundation for sustainable growth. The establishment of aviation services at Alat International Airport is a strategic step toward realizing our vision of transforming Azerbaijan into a leading regional hub.”

Alat International Airport: a regional aviation hub

Located in the Alat Free Economic Zone, Alat International Airport will include 18 aircraft stands, a 4,000-meter runway and taxiway, as well as an air traffic control centre. The project is designed to enhance the country’s transportation capabilities and stimulate the comprehensive economic development of the surrounding region.

Upon completion in 2027, the wider Alat Free Economic Zone will become a prominent transit hub, featuring integrated logistics infrastructure. The zone will benefit from direct access to the Baku International Sea Trade Port, extensive railway and motorway networks - collectively enhancing Azerbaijan's transportation and distribution capabilities.

Dubai, UAE, 18 September 2025: dnata has signed a three-year sponsorship agreement with Dubai Basketball, becoming a Founding Partner of the city’s first professional basketball franchise. The deal represents dnata’s first major sports sponsorship and places the company’s brand at the centre of one of the most ambitious sporting projects in the region.

With Dubai Basketball preparing for both the prestigious EuroLeague, and a return to the Adriatic Basketball Association (ABA) League, the partnership highlights dnata’s commitment to elevating the profile of basketball in the UAE and showcasing the nation’s growing role in international competition.

From runway to the rim

As part of the partnership, dnata’s branding will appear on Dubai Basketball’s official jerseys, across the Coca-Cola Arena home court, and on the team’s digital platforms. The company will also leverage the partnership to showcase its portfolio of brands – including dnata Travel, Arabian Adventures, and marhaba – through game-day experiences and fan activations.

dnata will also serve as the official travel partner of Dubai Basketball, supporting the team’s journey across Europe and ensuring seamless travel as the club competes in elite competitions.

Steve Allen, CEO of dnata, said: “This is a landmark moment for dnata and a true full-court press into the world of sport. Like Dubai Basketball, we believe in a play-to-win mindset – aiming high, competing with the best, and never settling for less. Their rapid rise mirrors our own journey as a Dubai-born company that has grown into a truly global brand, driven by the same discipline and teamwork that turn good into great.”

“Basketball has a universal appeal - it transcends borders, unites communities, and brings everyone, including families, together through a shared passion. We play the same role through our global services, connecting millions across continents and meeting the needs of every journey. As Dubai Basketball prepares to represent the city in Europe’s top leagues, we are proud to stand alongside them, support their growth, and bring our brands closer to fans at home and abroad.”

From Dubai to the world

Dubai Basketball has made rapid progress since its formation in 2023. In its debut season in the Adriatic Basketball Association (ABA) League, the club advanced to the semifinals and finished third overall, a landmark achievement for a first-year team.

The franchise has been confirmed to return to the ABA League and will also compete in the EuroLeague, widely regarded as one of the strongest basketball competitions in the world. Home games will be staged at Coca-Cola Arena, bringing some of Europe’s most storied clubs to the city.

Co-Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Basketball, Nick Oakley commented: “Dubai Basketball will compete in Europe’s great cities, carrying the pride of Dubai onto the world stage. We are proud to welcome dnata as our official travel partner, a world-class brand that shares our vision and ambition. Together, we will build an extraordinary team for our city and create a sporting experience that unites and inspires our fans.”

As Dubai Basketball further cements its international name through the upcoming leagues, dnata – with operations across six continents – is aligning its global presence with the team’s rapid ascent. The collaboration reflects how both brands are carrying Dubai’s name into arenas worldwide, in sport and in travel and aviation.

The partnership also presents a unique opportunity for dnata to tap into the club’s growing fanbase. During Dubai Basketball’s debut at the ABA League last season, Coca-Cola Arena attracted nearly 80,000 spectators in just 18 home games. With the team now competing in the EuroLeague, the agreement marks the start of a three-year collaboration that will see dnata embedded into Dubai Basketball’s journey across a minimum of 31 home games in a single season, with visibility on and off the court as they take on Europe’s best.

About dnata

dnata is a leading global air and travel services provider. Established in 1959, the company offers quality and safe ground handling, cargo, travel, catering and retail services in more than 30 countries across six continents. In the financial year 2024-25, dnata’s customer-oriented teams handled over 794,000 aircraft turns, moved 3.1 million tonnes of cargo, uplifted 114 million meals, and recorded a total transaction value (TTV) of travel services of US$ 2.6 billion.

For more information, visit dnata.com. For media enquiries, reach out to public.relations@dnata.com.

About Dubai Basketball

Founded in 2023, Dubai Basketball is a newly established professional basketball franchise that plays in Europe’s Adriatic Basketball Association (ABA) League for the 2024/25 season. The franchise has assembled a strong roster of players, with the team represented by countries including the Philippines, USA, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Jordan, Turkey, Latvia, Italy, Bosnia, and France. The franchise plays their home games in the ABA League at Coca-Cola Arena.

Dubai Basketball stands as a testament to the power of passion and dedication in shaping the landscape of basketball in the UAE and beyond. Its foundation is built upon a diverse and talented team, consisting of FIBA-certified coaches, former professional players, business experts, and passionate enthusiasts.

Dubai Basketball is committed to catalysing positive social change, where dreams are not just envisioned but realised, talents are not merely found but nurtured, and aspirations are not only lived but fulfilled.

Keep up to date with the latest news on Dubai Basketball by visiting www.dubaibasketball.com or on social media platforms:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/dubaibasketballclub 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dubaibasketballclub/

X - https://x.com/dubaibasket

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@DubaiBasketball

Media enquiries: David Jover, david.j@dubaibasketball.com or Hanan Mohamed, hanan.m@dubaibasketball.com

In his new role, Gareth will be responsible for driving strategic growth and operational excellence across dnata’s inflight catering and retail businesses in Australia and Singapore, with further expansion planned throughout Southeast Asia. He will lead a team of over 4,500 dedicated professionals who collectively prepare more than 54 million world-class meals for over 275,000 flights annually, serving a diverse portfolio of over 70 airline customers.

Gareth joined dnata Catering & Retail as Chief Financial Officer in 2022, and has since played a pivotal role in supporting its successful transformation and growth across the region. His promotion reflects dnata’s commitment to recognising and empowering talent from within the organisation.

Robin Padgett, CEO of dnata Catering & Retail, said: “Gareth is a proven leader with the experience, insight, and energy to drive our business forward in a region full of opportunity. His deep understanding of our operations and strategic approach have already made a meaningful impact. I’m confident that under his leadership, we’ll continue to strengthen our customer partnerships, enhance service quality, and accelerate growth across Australia and Southeast Asia.”

With more than two decades of global experience in senior finance and operational leadership roles, Gareth has held key positions across the airline services, logistics, and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sectors. Prior to joining dnata, he spent over ten years with Agility, where he led strategic initiatives across multiple markets.

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. With a global team of over 10,400 professionals, the company produces more than 110 million meals annually, serving full-service, low-cost, and VIP carriers from over 60 locations worldwide. Its innovative retail solutions and commitment to quality have earned it a reputation for excellence across the aviation industry.

dnata’s highly trained teams will produce and uplift more than 90,000 meals annually, delivering a memorable dining experience onboard the UAE carrier’s 14 weekly flights between Amman and Abu Dhabi.

Dana Kamal Adwan, CEO of dnata Catering & Retail Jordan, said: “Etihad Airways is renowned for its high service standards, and we’re proud to be selected as their catering partner of choice. This contract is a strong endorsement of our team’s culinary ambition, operational excellence and ability to deliver at scale, day after day. From bold, locally inspired flavours to beautifully balanced premium-cabin dishes, we will work closely with the airline to create world-class menus that elevate the passenger journey.”

Including Etihad Airways, dnata provides quality catering services to more than 30 airlines with a team of over 400 dedicated professionals in Jordan. In the financial year 2024-25, dnata uplifted more than 4.5 million meals for over 24,000 flights at AMM.

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. The company’s 10,400 catering professionals produce over 110 million meals annually, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

The strategic partnership brings together dnata’s global experience with IASH’s local strength to meet rising demand in one of Asia’s fastest growing aviation markets. Under the agreement, dnata will provide its extensive expertise to support IASH in expanding production, enhancing operational efficiency, and broadening its market reach.

IASH currently operates a 3,005 sqm catering facility with an annual production capacity of over 3.8 million meals in Denpasar.

Robin Padgett, CEO of dnata Catering & Retail, said: “Our partnership with IASH in Indonesia is a strategic complement to our global catering & retail network. IASH has a strong local presence and solid foundation at a fast-growing aviation hub – we’re here to help scale operations and take service quality to the next level for the benefit of customers, passengers and communities.

“This move builds on our strong momentum across Asia Pacific, including recent significant expansions in Australia and Singapore. It reflects our long-term commitment to grow with purpose in this dynamic aviation market. 

“We thank IASH for their trust and collaboration, and look forward to a successful journey together.”

Yundriati Erdani, President Director of PT IAS Hospitality Indonesia, stated: “This step is part of our commitment to bringing IAS Food Services to a world-class level. By partnering with dnata Catering & Retail as a strategic partner, we are confident in accelerating improvements in service quality, operational efficiency, and airline partners’ trust in our products.”

Through this collaboration, IASH reaffirms its commitment to strengthening its position as an integrated hospitality service provider in the aviation industry.

About dnata Catering & Retail

dnata’s catering and retail division is a leading inflight hospitality provider. It produces over 110 million meals annually, serving full-service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations. In the Asia-Pacific region, dnata provides a full range catering & retail services to over 47 airlines at 10 airports across Australia and Singapore.

About PT IAS Hospitality Indonesia

PT IAS Hospitality Indonesia is a subsidiary of InJourney Aviation Services, specializing in premium hospitality solutions within airport environments. Currently, IAS Hospitality manages 24 executive lounges across 17 airports in Indonesia and operates inflight catering services in Denpasar – Bali, serving five international airlines.

dnata’s specialist teams will uplift around 37,000 meals annually, contributing to a quality onboard experience for Asiana Airlines’ passengers on its three-weekly service to Incheon International Airport (INC) in South Korea.

Frantisek Sir, Managing Director, dnata Catering Czech Republic, said: “We are proud to welcome Asiana Airlines and to be selected as its exclusive catering partner in Prague. Our experienced team will work closely with the airline to deliver expertly crafted, premium-quality meals that consistently delight passengers on board.  We look forward to building a long and successful partnership.”

dnata: the inflight catering partner of choice for 18 airlines in Prague

Including Asiana Airlines, dnata provides catering services to 18 airline customers with a team of more than 210 hospitality professionals in the Czech Republic. In the financial year 2024-25, dnata Catering’s teams uplifted over 3.5 million meals for 17,000 flights in the country.

Global goals in motion: electric truck proves its power in Prague

Globally, dnata is taking practical steps to enhance environmental efficiency through ongoing investment in renewable energy, electric equipment, waste reduction and process improvement.

In Prague, dnata recently completed a successful trial of an electric catering truck as part of these efforts. Over the course of the trial, the vehicle covered 730 kilometres, served 230 flights, and operated in temperatures as low as 1.6°C, demonstrating the potential of electric ground support equipment (GSE) in day-to-day operations.  

Delivering culinary excellence at scale

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. The company’s 10,500 catering professionals produce over 110 million meals annually, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

The new partnership will see dnata provide its quality inflight catering services for the Irish flag carrier’s four weekly flights to Dublin Airport (DUB), uplifting nearly 40,000 meals annually.

Peter DeVito, Chief Executive Officer, dnata Catering North America, said: “We’re pleased to support Air Lingus as they expand their transatlantic network. From freshly prepared meals to flawless delivery, our team is focused on getting every detail right. We’re here to make sure their passengers enjoy best-in-class dining experience on every flight.”

Including Aer Lingus, dnata provides catering and retail services to over 40 customers at 12 airports with a team of more than 1,000 hospitality professionals throughout the USA. In the financial year 2024-25, its teams uplifted more than 10 million meals in the country, which represents an over 15% growth year on year.

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. The company produces over 110 million meals annually, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

Under the new agreement, dnata’s specialist teams will deliver last-mile logistics, packing and uplifting easyJet’s range of onboard retail products -including food and beverage items- alongside around 40,000 crew meals annually. The services will support easyJet’s expanded operations at its two new Italian bases and enhance the inflight experience for passengers.

dnata has managed easyJet’s inflight retail programme across its European network since 2022, providing a fully integrated solution that covers retail strategy, product development and sourcing, end-to-end logistics, marketing, crew support and financial management.

Rosario Ambrosino, Chief Executive Officer, dnata Catering & Retail Italy, said: “We’re proud to support easyJet’s success and growth with our innovative solutions across Italy. This partnership is a strong endorsement of our digital-led, data-driven approach and commitment to delivering a modern, high-quality retail experience that creates value for passengers and the airline. We look forward to further strengthening our collaboration.”

Including easyJet, dnata provides catering and retail services in Italy to 37 airline customers at nine airports with a team of more than 880 hospitality professionals. In the financial year 2024-25, dnata Catering & Retail teams uplifted over nine million meals, including 2.3 million meals at FCO alone, for over 63,000 flights in the country.

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. The company’s 10,500 catering professionals produce over 110 million meals annually, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

The contract will see dnata provide retail products across Jetstar’s extensive Asia Pacific network including Jetstar Airways in Australia and New Zealand, Jetstar Asia which operates out of Singapore, and Jetstar Japan.

dnata and Jetstar will continue to work together to create menus which provide a range of pre-order and buy-on-board options for millions of customers each year.

Lou D’alessio, Chief Retail Officer, dnata Catering & Retail Australia, said: “The ever-changing inflight retail trends make data analysis crucial for developing and evolving menus based on customer feedback and sales. We’re committed to sourcing high quality products and constantly enhancing our offering. We look forward to continuing to support and deliver on Jetstar’s ambitious growth plans as a key partner in Australia.”

Continued investment in Australia

dnata has recently announced significant infrastructure investments to drive future growth in Australia. This included an AUS$ 17 million inflight catering centre at the new Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI), which will be capable of producing three million quality meals annually.

dnata also partnered with Melbourne Airport to expand its existing facility, increasing annual capacity to over 25 million meals. Representing an AUS$ 50 million investment, this development will enhance dnata’s ability to meet the evolving needs of its growing customer base with innovative catering and retail solutions.

Serving over 40 airline customers, including Jetstar, dnata operates at nine airports across Australia with a team of over 4,000 hospitality professionals. In the financial year 2023-24, dnata Catering & Retail Australia uplifted over 50 million meals for more than 300,000 flights in Australia. In 2024 alone, dnata has invested more than AUS$ 200 million in products sourced from local Australian suppliers.

Globally, dnata’s catering and retail division is a leading inflight hospitality provider. It produces over 110 million meals annually, serving full-service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

dnata operates kitchens in Boston, New York, Nashville, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco, providing inflight catering and retail services to over 100 airports across the country. The US is one of the company’s largest markets for corporate jet services, with demand for VIP flight services continuing to grow. In addition, dnata works closely with a network of best-in-market vendors, managing the catering for customers in cities without its kitchens.

Fuelling sports teams across the USA

dnata caters for significant numbers of professional sports teams travelling the country, creating custom athletic portions for their dedicated charter flights. These meals, such as the popular shrimp cocktail platters, usually include 10-12oz (285-340 grams) of protein to help the teams prepare for or recover from their games. Meanwhile, requests by corporate jet customers on shorter journeys typically include fruit, cheese and seafood platters, as well as finger sandwiches and cookie trays.

Dishes by Royal request

The most popular special requests can vary by a customer’s country of origin. For example, Middle Eastern royal families commonly order dishes including Arabic Mezze, Chicken Biryani, Patchi chocolates and desserts from New York City speciality shops. Indian VVIP clients often request lavish Mughlai and other regional delicacies that reflect the country’s rich culinary heritage, typically sourced from authentic top local Indian restaurants.

Some celebrities have very particular requests, including one very famous R&B duo who will always request a popular plant-based milk product. Other large jets require catering to a similar standard as a Michelin starred restaurant, including caviar, blinis, lobster platters and meals with white and black shaved truffles.

In-flight private chefs

dnata Catering & Retail’s US-based teams include dedicated chefs working exclusively for private and corporate aviation customers, who can also accompany flights on a multi-stop, country-wide tour. Its global network also allows it to fully cater for customers at each point on their trip, with the busiest cities for private aviation including New York, London, Milan, Sydney and Dubai.

Trusted by global governments

Besides sports teams, dnata provides high-end catering to royalty, high-profile musicians, and significant numbers of foreign government jets departing overseas. Notably, its teams catered for up to 70 presidential aircraft departing John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) in New York following the United Nations General Assembly in September 2024.

Peter DeVito, Chief Executive Officer, dnata Catering & Retail USA, said: “We believe that every passenger should enjoy an unforgettable onboard dining experience. We're committed to offering top-tier cuisine to our VIP customers, with each meal crafted to leave a lasting impression. Whether it's a luxurious multi-course meal or a personalised dish tailored to the most refined tastes, our team uses only the freshest ingredients and puts thought and care into every detail. In private aviation, excellence is the required standard, and we’re proud to set that standard." 

Changing creative solutions

dnata’s customer-oriented teams are consistently changing their menus to personalise offerings to each passenger, by meeting flight crews ahead of every journey. Each menu is developed by establishing the requirements for the aircraft’s next trip, including dishes which have received positive feedback, such as a recent favourite, a Montauk-inspired lobster roll.

Food safety a top priority

dnata is one of only a few VIP caterers which has separate Halal kitchens and teams within all its facilities. Its chefs receive tailored training from specialist colleagues, to prepare favourite dishes including Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines. This not only ensures that dnata provides the highest quality, tasty meals, but also by keeping preparation and cooking in-house, all food safety standards can be thoroughly controlled. This includes allergen segregation.

“Allergies and all food safety is our biggest concern,” says Peter. “We have Food Safety Quality Assurance Managers and support staff in every unit. They help to ensure that we are serving our guests food that has been safely prepared.

“We operate strict allergen protocols and take every step that we can to serve safe and delicious food.

“As we cater for many professional sports teams, a common player snack is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. However, as peanuts are such a serious allergen, we operate peanut-free facilities, and segregate 14 other allergens. Instead, we offer our guests almond butter and jelly sandwiches.”

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. The company’s 10,500 catering professionals produce over 110 million meals annually, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

dnata’s highly trained teams at Melbourne International Airport (MEL) and Sydney International Airport (SYD) will produce and uplift an estimated 380,000 meals to the three airlines annually, ensuring a memorable dining experience onboard the airlines’ flights between the two cities and China. The carriers will connect Melbourne and China with a total of 19 weekly services, transporting approximately 200,000 passengers per year.

Following recent agreements with Hainan Airlines and Tianjin Airlines, Beijing Capital Airlines is the third airline within the HNA Group to award a contract to dnata in Australia.

Mark Stubbings, Chief Commercial Officer, dnata Catering & Retail Australia, said: “We are delighted to welcome Hainan Airlines, Tianjin Air and Beijing Capital Airlines back to Australia and thank the HNA Group for their trust in dnata’s services. The success of launching operations with the three airlines highlights the dedicated effort and professionalism of our teams in delivering best-in-class services. We look forward to contributing to their passengers’ memorable inflight experience.”

Including the three HNA Group airlines, dnata provides catering and retail services in Australia to over 40 airline customers at nine airports with a team of more than 4,000 hospitality professionals. In the financial year 2023-24, dnata Catering & Retail teams uplifted over 60 million meals for over 250,000 flights in the country.

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. The company’s over 10,500 catering professionals produce over 110 million meals annually, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

dnata Catering & Retail (dnata) is investing $17 million to build an advanced inflight catering centre within the Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI) Cargo Precinct, which will be capable of producing three million quality meals each year.

dnata Catering & Retail Australia’s Chief Commercial Officer, Mark Stubbings, said the significant investment at WSI once again underlines the organisation’s strong, long-term commitment to the Australian aviation industry.

“Our highly trained team, advanced facility and equipment will deliver world-class services and products, helping WSI establish itself as a leading international aviation hub,” he said.

“We are excited to contribute to the airport’s growth and success with our innovative approach and passion for excellence.”

He added that dnata’s operations will create more meaningful job opportunities as well, with recruitment set to begin in 2026 for a wide range of roles, including chefs, drivers, and catering attendants. 

“Thousands of workers – many of whom live in Western Sydney – have helped build this transformational greenfield airport, so I’m pleased to confirm that dnata’s investment will also create more than 200 new, direct jobs over the next 10 years,” he said.

WSI CEO Simon Hickey said dnata’s investment is another decisive signal of the airport’s rapid progress and premier airline offering as the business prepares for take-off in late 2026.

“dnata is investing in WSI and investing in the future growth and opportunities this airport will offer top-tier airlines when we open next year,” he said.

“Being situated within our on-airport Cargo Precinct presents unrivalled operational efficiencies for dnata and airlines – including seamless integration and proximity to the terminal as well as dedicated airside access.

“What’s more, WSI’s prime location in Australia’s multicultural heartland and brand-new transport connections can also give dnata ‘food for thought’ in supporting access to the state’s local produce and vibrant regional food scene.”

dnata’s 3,200 m² facility at WSI will incorporate the latest technologies in design and operation to minimise its environmental footprint, featuring energy-efficient equipment, a recycled water system and a waste treatment plant.  Its agreement with WSI also allows dnata to expand the site as airline customers grow in line with airport demand, reaching a total of up to 6,400 m².

“Like everything at WSI, dnata’s centre is built for growth so it can expand as demand grows over the decades ahead, which will also create more and more jobs,” Hickey said.

Construction of the dnata facility within WSI’s Cargo Precinct is already underway and expected to be completed in late 2026. Its initial $17 million investment also includes a fleet of ground support equipment, such as catering trucks and light vehicles.  

The MCO station sets a new benchmark for dnata’s operations in the United States, establishing a new standard for ground handling in the country. The company’s US$ 3 million investment includes a fully electric ground support equipment (GSE) fleet, along with a range of advanced passenger service, telematics, resource management, virtual training and anti-collision systems. 

The project is expected to foster economic growth and deliver substantial benefits to local businesses and communities by strengthening the local aviation sector through this innovative airport offering. It will also generate 50 new, direct jobs with dnata in Orlando, with further expansion planned.  

dnata’s partners in the milestone project include Lufthansa Group, Oshkosh AeroTech, Evitado Technologies, and AVIAR, each making a substantial contribution to the successful launch of the “Station of Tomorrow.”

David Barker, Regional CEO for Americas, dnata, said: “We are proud to invest in Orlando, the home of dnata’s USA Headquarters, and lead the way in shaping the future of ground handling. This initiative aligns with our commitment to implementing practical, scalable solutions that enhance operational performance, safety, and service quality for our airline partners and their passengers. 

“We are committed to implementing this model across our 22 locations in the United States, elevating industry standards nationwide. We extend our gratitude to our partners, including Lufthansa and Oshkosh AeroTech, for their unwavering support and look forward to achieving further success together.”

Jörg Mnich, Vice President Commercial Airport Agreements, Lufthansa Group, said: “The Lufthansa Group is very excited to expand the partnership in North Amerika with dnata in Orlando. Especially having Discover Airlines as launching customer at the “Station of Tomorrow” in MCO experiencing this big step in technology development (e.g. E-GSE, safety tools and features, innovative ways of training) shows the spirit of the partnership that has been established over the past years. We are keen to see the deployment of the tools and equipment to other joint stations across the network in due time.”

Lars Michael Wendel, Nominated Person Ground Operations, Discover Airlines, said: "With the 'Station of Tomorrow,' Discover Airlines can offer our customers a new experience that combines efficient technological processes and environmental aspects. We are particularly excited about the new E-GSE and the anti-collision system, which make the turnaround more environmentally friendly and meet the airlines' high safety standards. We look forward to taking these steps with dnata as a partner and are proud to be part of these innovations."

Innovation driving operational and service excellence

From the passenger terminal to the airport apron and back office, dnata’s “Station of Tomorrow” integrates the latest technologies to enhance efficiency and service quality.

Key features of the station include:

• Electric ground support equipment (GSE)
  dnata will operate a fully electric fleet of 14 GSEs, including cargo loaders, pushbacks, bag tugs, belt loaders at MCO to deliver consistent high levels of environmental efficiency. This transition aligns with dnata’s global sustainability target of reducing carbon emissions by 50% by 2030.
   
• Digital solutions across the passenger journey
  Passenger-friendly check-in and baggage kiosks, baggage drop points, and conveyor belt management systems will enhance the overall passenger experience and minimise wait times.
   
• High-tech ground handling system
  dnata will utilise a single, digital platform to streamline operations, managing all aspects of the ground handling process from planning and scheduling to execution and reporting.
   
• Advanced telematics systems
  Telematics systems will monitor real-time equipment usage and performance, enabling data-driven decision-making to reduce downtime and optimise operational efficiency. The solution will provide assurance that every driver is fully trained and qualified via a direct link with dnata’s Learning Management System.
   
• Virtual Reality Training
  A virtual training solution will complement classroom learning to improve on-the-job skills. It features scenario-based simulations in a zero-risk environment to help build confidence and ensure safe, high-quality service. 
   
• Resource management system (RMS)
  A resource management system will optimise workforce and equipment allocation, ensuring operations remain agile and resources are utilised efficiently.
   
• Vision AI
  AI-powered tools will enhance monitoring capabilities, ensuring safety, accuracy, and operational oversight across baggage and ramp operations.
   
• Collision avoidance system
  dnata will also implement an innovative collision avoidance system at MCO. This system will enable the company to mitigate risks through actionable data insights, enhancing both safety and efficiency in ground towing operations. 

dnata: a leading air services provider in the United States

dnata provides ground handling and cargo services at 22 airports in the United States. The company’s dedicated team of over 3,500 aviation professionals ensures the seamless operations of 48,000 flights and handles 200,000 tons of cargo and mail annually across the country. 

The extension will see dnata continue to oversee the operations of Jordan Flight Catering Company Ltd (JFCCO), Jordan’s leading inflight caterer, under a long-term contract. The partnership will ensure continued stability, operational excellence and world-class services for JFCCO’s 34 airline customers. The company will operate under a co-brand of dnata and Royal Jordanian.

dnata and Royal Jordanian have also agreed to extend the inflight caterer’s service contract with the airline for another 10 years. dnata’s highly-skilled chefs will produce over four million meals, contributing to an excellent onboard experience on the carrier’s 17,000 flights annually. 

Besides Jordan, dnata provides quality catering services to Royal Jordanian in the UK and USA. 

Dana Kamal Adwan, CEO of dnata Catering & Retail Jordan, said: “We are proud to extend our long-standing partnership with Royal Jordanian, reinforcing a collaboration built on trust and a shared focus on service excellence. Our global expertise, combined with our local team’s exceptional skills and dedication, will ensure Royal Jordanian and our other airline customers’ passengers enjoy outstanding culinary experiences on every Amman flight.

“We will keep investing in our people, infrastructure and product development alongside our partners to stay at the forefront of the Jordanian catering industry.”

dnata provides quality and safe catering services to 34 airlines in Jordan. It produces and uplifts 4.4m meals annually with a team of over 380 dedicated, local professionals in Amman. 

Representing an AUS$ 50 million investment, this development will enhance dnata’s ability to meet the evolving needs of its growing customer base with innovative catering and retail solutions.

The project will add 5,700m² to dnata’s existing facility, increasing its total footprint to over 16,000m². This will make it the largest airline catering centre in Victoria, with the capacity to produce 25 million meals annually.  Construction is already underway, with the newly built area scheduled to become operational in September 2026.

dnata currently serves 20 airline customers with a team of 1,000 highly-trained employees in Melbourne, contributing to an excellent onboard dining experience on over 60,000 flights annually.

Hiranjan Aloysius, dnata Catering & Retail’s Regional CEO for Asia Pacific, said: “This significant expansion of our Melbourne facility is an important step in our ongoing growth journey, enabling us to meet the rapidly increasing demand for our quality services. It will also contribute to our efforts to support the local economy and communities by creating new jobs and stimulating growth in associated sectors. We will continue to invest in our highly trained team, infrastructure and equipment to deliver outstanding meals and retail offerings that passengers love.”

Jai McDermott, Melbourne Airport Chief of Ground Transport, Property and Retail, said: “This development is a significant milestone in the long-standing partnership between dnata and Melbourne Airport. This project, and its interface with airside operations, will streamline dnata’s ways of working here at Melbourne Airport, and will ensure that as Melbourne Airport grows so too will dnata.

“This project will lay the foundation for dnata to accommodate new customers and support the long-term growth of existing airlines, especially as Melbourne Airport embarks on its own expansion to construct a third runway.”

dnata’s expansion in Melbourne reflects its commitment to consistently enhancing its footprint and offering in Australia. The company’s planned AUS$ 80 million investment in infrastructure is expected to create over 300 direct jobs over the next three years, while also generating indirect employment through partnerships with local suppliers. In 2024 alone, dnata has invested more than AUS$ 200 million in products sourced from local Australian suppliers.

dnata currently provides catering and retail services in Australia to over 40 airline customers at nine airports with a team of more than 4,000 hospitality professionals. In the financial year 2023-24, dnata Catering & Retail’s teams uplifted over 50 million meals in the country for over 300,000 flights.

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. In the first six months of the financial year 2024-25, dnata’s customer-oriented teams produced over 50 million meals, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

The partnership will see dnata Catering & Retail provide its quality catering services to the airline at Sydney International Airport (SYD). dnata’s dedicated team will uplift over 125,000 world-class meals, contributing to a premium onboard experience for 60,000 passengers on Turkish Airlines’ over 200 annual flights.

The new contract expands the partnership between the two parties across the Asia Pacific region, with dnata already providing its catering services to the airline in Melbourne (MEL) and Singapore (SIN).

Across all three airports, dnata Catering & Retail will be supplying a total of 710,000 meals across 1,250 flights per year to the airline.

Hiranjan Aloysius, dnata Catering & Retail’s Regional CEO for Asia Pacific, said: “We are delighted to have been trusted to become Turkish Airlines’ exclusive inflight catering provider in Australia and Singapore. It is testament to the quality and skills of our experienced team of chefs who consistently create outstanding culinary products that are contributing to the passenger’s on-board experience.”

Including Turkish Airways, dnata provides catering and retail services in Australia and Singapore to over 40 airline customers at 11 airports. A team of more than 4,500 culinary professionals prepare and uplift over 70 million quality and safe meals, ensuring an excellent onboard dining experience for over 250,000 flights annually.

dnata’s teams of award-winning chefs will begin to dish up the most popular global festive meal of traditional roast turkey from mid-December. Some airlines will serve their guests a gentle starter of local prawn cocktail or mixed grain and cranberry salad before progressing to the showstopper. While passengers will consume a total of 6.9 tonnes of meat, a typical meal will include the essential ingredients, including savoury sage and onion stuffing, crispy roast potatoes, and tender Brussels sprouts.  

Global menu variations

Travellers should save some space after their meal, however, with a choice of delightful gastronomical desserts which vary depending on where their journey begins. The traditional mince pie, Christmas cake and festive-themed chocolates are prepared for airlines jetting out of the UK. In Australia, passengers will be greeted with the choice of warm fruit pudding, Christmas pudding cheesecake, or gingerbread-spiced crumble topped mousse.

In the USA, a popular special dessert amongst American airline partners is Pumpkin pie with spiced mascarpone or cream, or Pumpkin cheesecake and stewed apples.

Robin Padgett, Divisional Senior Vice President for Catering and Retail, dnata, explains the process of creating a festive menu: “An airline’s menus are planned out once per year, and many airlines have cyclical menus to reflect the seasonal changes. 

“Festive menus are signed off in November, after they have been developed by our award-winning chefs. Recipes are then created for all our global stations along with loading and plating guides with photographs of each stage, to ensure consistent delivery. 

“We also take the special requirements of our airline partners into consideration, with Halal-prepared meat as well as tasty vegetarian alternatives. Special meals account for 45 per cent of total meals provided for our big airline carriers.”

dnata also provides catering services to airline partners via tailor-made on-board retail offerings. 

“We’ll ensure that passengers of our retail customers also receive the festive experience with turkey, cranberry and stuffing sandwiches and a mince pie to purchase as they make their special journey,” Robin says.

Innovation to reduce waste

While preparing large quantities of festive meals, dnata Catering’s teams collaborate closely with airline partners to examine consumption patterns and utilise predictive analytics to enhance food and beverage loading for in-flight services. This careful analysis not only helps minimise food waste but also reduces the fuel consumption that comes with carrying excess weight. Additionally, whenever possible, dnata Catering aims to source local ingredients to lower the food miles associated with its menus.

“We take great pride in the confidence our global clients have in us to deliver exceptional meals made from locally sourced ingredients for their passengers,” Robin concludes.

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. In the first six months of the financial year 2024-25, dnata’s customer-oriented teams produced over 50 million meals, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

This is the first financial year that the UAE corporate income tax, enacted in 2023, is applied to the Emirates Group. After accounting for the 9% tax charge, the Group’s profit after tax is AED 9.3 billion (USD 2.5 billion).

Demonstrating its strong operating profitability, the Group maintained a robust EBITDA of AED 20.4 billion (US$ 5.6 billion), slightly lower from AED 20.6 billion (US$ 5.6 billion) last year.

Group revenue was AED 70.8 billion (US$ 19.3 billion) for the first six months of 2024-25, up 5% from AED 67.3 billion (US$ 18.3 billion) last year. This reflects the consistently strong customer demand across business divisions, and across regions.

The Group closed the first half year of 2024-25 with a solid cash position of AED 43.7 billion (US$ 11.9 billion) on 30 September 2024, compared to AED 47.1 billion (US$ 12.8 billion) on 31 March 2024. The Group has been able to tap on its own strong cash reserves to support business needs, including payments for new freighter aircraft orders and other debt payments. The Group also paid AED 2 billion in dividend to its owner, as declared at the end of its 2023-24 financial year.

His Highness (HH) Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group said: “The Group has surpassed its record performance of last year to deliver a fantastic result for the first half of 2024-25. This again illustrates the power of our proven business model working in combination with Dubai’s growth trajectory as a city of choice to live, work, visit, connect through, and do business in.

“The Group’s strong profitability enables us to make the investments necessary for our continued success. We’re investing billions of dollars to bring new products and services to the market for our customers; to implement advanced technologies and other innovation projects to drive growth; and to look after our employees who work hard every day to ensure our customers’ safety and satisfaction.”

HH Sheikh Ahmed added: “We expect customer demand to remain strong for the rest of 2024-25, and we look forward to increasing our capacity to grow revenues as new aircraft join the Emirates fleet and new facilities come online at dnata. The outlook is positive, but we don’t intend to rest on our laurels. We will stay agile in deploying our capacity and resources in a dynamic marketplace.”

To support increased operations and business activities, the Emirates Group’s employee base, compared to 31 March 2024, grew 3% to an overall count of 114,610 on 30 September 2024. Both Emirates and dnata have ongoing recruitment drives to support their future requirements.

dnata

dnata saw strong growth in the first six months of 2024-25, as it continued to ramp up operations across its cargo and ground handling, catering and retail, and travel services businesses.

In the first half of 2024-25, dnata’s airport services and catering and retail divisions won several significant new contracts, and grew existing customers across its international operations. This shows dnata’s ability to serve the diverse requirements of its airline customers with high safety standards and consistently high-quality products and services.

dnata continued to make strategic investments in its business to respond to customer needs and tap on market prospects. Highlights in the first half of 2024-25 include: the expansion of its USA footprint with the launch of ground handling operations at Raleigh-Durham International airport; the signing of significant deals for new ground support equipment (GSE) estimated at a total value of over US$ 210 million over their lifespan; and the planned 50% increase in cargo handling capacity in Zurich, Switzerland, with additional warehouse capacity.

dnata also progressed its environmental agenda to reduce emissions, with investments to transition its entire fleet of non-electric airside vehicles and GSEs in the UAE to biodiesel, and the addition of more electric GSEs to its Brazil and UAE operations.

dnata’s revenue, including other operating income, of AED 10.4 billion (US$ 2.8 billion) increased by 11% compared to AED 9.3 billion (US$ 2.5 billion) generated in the same period last year.

Overall profit before tax for dnata is AED 720 million (US$ 196 million), down by 5% from the same period last year, primarily due to a one-off impairment charge of AED 152 million. dnata’s profit after tax is AED 571 million (US$ 156 million).

Illustrating its operating profitability, dnata’s EBITDA was AED 1.3 billion (US$ 354 million), up 16% from last year’s AED 1.1 billion (US$ 305 million).

dnata’s airport operations remains the largest contributor to revenue with AED 4.8 billion (US$ 1.3 billion), a 15% increase compared to the same period last year, as its airline customers’ operations continued to pick up particularly in Australia, Singapore, the UAE and UK.  Across its operations, the number of aircraft turns handled by dnata increased by 2% to 391,365, and it recorded 1.5 million tonnes of cargo handled, up by 18% due to the buoyant demand for air cargo services globally.

dnata’s flight catering and retail operations, contributed AED 3.7 billion (US$ 1.0 billion) to its revenue, up 8% with catering production increases in Australia and the UK to meet customer demand, as well as the growth of its retail product as part of the division’s strategy, and the positive impact of revised contracts to reflect rising supply costs. The overall number of meals uplifted decreased by 5% to 62.7 million meals compared to last year’s 66.3 million meals.

dnata's travel division contributed AED 1.8 billion (US$ 483 million) to revenue, up 23% compared to AED 1.4 billion (US$ 391 million) for the same period last year, with strong contributions from its Imagine Cruising, Destination Asia and Middle East Corporate Travel businesses. The division reported an underlying total transactional value (TTV) sales of AED 4.5 billion (US$ 1.2 billion), compared to AED 4.1 billion (US$ 1.1 billion) for the same period last year.

Emirates airline

Emirates continued to enhance its network and increase connectivity options through its Dubai hub.  During the first half of 2024-25, Emirates increased scheduled flights to 8 cities: Amsterdam, Cebu, Clark, Luanda, Lyon, Madrid, Manila and Singapore.

In May, Emirates restarted daily services to Phnom Penh in Cambodia via Singapore. In June, it launched daily services to Bogotá via Miami, expanding the airline’s South American presence to Colombia. In September, Emirates opened a new route to Madagascar via the Seychelles – taking its passenger and cargo network to 148 airports in 80 countries by 30 September.

Expanding connectivity options for customers, during the first six months of 2024-25, Emirates entered into new agreements with 7 codeshare, interline, and intermodal partners: AirPeace, Avianca, BLADE, ITA Airways, Iceland Air, SNCF Railway, and Viva Aerobus.

Between 1 April and 30 September, 8 aircraft (3 A380s, 5 Boeing 777s) with fully refreshed interiors rolled out of the airline’s US$ 4 billion retrofit programme. This enabled Emirates to accelerate the deployment of its latest cabin products, including its latest 4-class Boeing 777 that feature a new 1-2-1 layout of lie-flat seats with personal minibars in Business Class, and the popular Emirates Premium Economy.

The first retrofitted Emirates 777 was deployed to Geneva in August, followed by Tokyo Haneda and Brussels. For the next six months, as more aircraft are retrofitted, Emirates has lined up 10 more routes for its refurbished 777s: Riyadh, Zurich, Kuwait, Damman, Chicago, Boston, Dallas Fort Worth, Seattle, Newark-Athens and Miami-Bogota.

By year end, Emirates’ latest A380 and Boeing 777 inflight experiences including Premium Economy, will be available to customers on over 30 routes.

On ground, AED 44 million was invested to open new signature Emirates Lounges for premium customers in London Stansted and Jeddah airports, and refurbish the existing facility at Paris Charles De Gaulle. This is part of an ongoing multi-million dollar programme to enhance its network of owned Emirates Lounges. In July, Emirates opened a new concept travel store in Hong Kong, its first outside of the UAE, and it plans to launch more experiential stores around its network as part of its retail strategy.

Emirates continued to progress on its environmental initiatives, uplifting sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) where available and feasible. During the first six months of 2024-25, Emirates uplifted SAF for the first time in Singapore and London Heathrow.  

Emirates joined the Aviation Initiative for Renewable Energy (aireg) in Germany; and signed up as industry partner of the Aviation Impact Accelerator (AIA) at the University of Cambridge, contributing to the research and development of emissions reduction pathways. The AIA partnership also marked Emirates’ first disbursement from its US$ 200 million fund, specifically set aside to support R&D to advance sustainability solutions for aviation.

In the first half of 2024-25, Emirates boosted investments in its global brand visibility notably signing a significant new sponsorship deal to be Official Airline Partner of The Championships – Wimbledon. Emirates also extended its longstanding partnerships with the International Cricket Council (ICC) for a further 8 years, and with Portugal’s SL Benfica football club for another 5 years.

Overall capacity during the first six months of the year increased by 5% to 29.9 billion Available Tonne Kilometres (ATKM) due to expanded flight operations. Capacity measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASKM), increased by 4%, whilst passenger traffic carried measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPKM) was up by 2% with an average Passenger Seat Factor of 80.0%, compared with 81.5% during the same period last year. Emirates carried 26.9 million passengers between 1 April and 30 September 2024, up 3% from the same period last year.

Emirates SkyCargo transported 1,198,000 tonnes in the first six months of the year, up 16% compared to the same period last year, with notable volume contributions from strong Chinese eCommerce traffic, and a rise in shipments bound for Dubai. 

Emirates SkyCargo was able to meet demand with added capacity from 1 new Boeing 777 freighter delivered, and 2 additional wet-leased Boeing 747Fs.  During the first six months of 2024-25, Emirates placed orders for 10 additional Boeing 777 freighters to support its growth.

Strong customer demand for Emirates SkyCargo’s specialised products and excellent network of freighter and bellyhold cargo operations saw cargo yields increase by 11%.

Emirates profit before tax for the first half of 2024-25 hit a new record of AED 9.7 billion (US$ 2.6 billion), compared to AED 9.5 billion (US$ 2.6 billion) for the same period last year. Emirates profit after tax is AED 8.7 billion (US$ 2.4 billion).

Emirates revenue, including other operating income, of AED 62.2 billion (US$ 16.9 billion) was up 5% compared with AED 59.5 billion (US$ 16.2 billion) for the same period last year. The airline’s new record revenue can be attributed to consistently strong travel and air cargo demand across markets, and its ability to offer customers great value and services.

Emirates’ direct operating costs (including fuel) grew by 6% in line with increased operations. Fuel remains the largest component of the airline’s operating cost (32%), compared to 34% in the same period last year.

Driven by customer demand and increased operations during the six months, Emirates’ EBITDA of AED 19.1 billion (US$ 5.2 billion) remained very strong, although slightly down by 2% compared to AED 19.5 billion (US$ 5.3 billion) for the same period last year.

[1] The UAE corporate tax applies to the Emirates Group from its 2024-25 financial year. Hence, PAT figures for September 2024 and September 2023 are not directly comparable.

The study, compiled by global research firm Oxford Economics, includes an assessment of direct economic activity generated by the aviation sector, indirect activity generated through the sector’s supply chain, and induced activity supported through wage-funded consumption by the local aviation workforce. The study also assesses the catalytic impact of tourism spending facilitated by the aviation sector in Dubai.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group, and Chairman of Dubai Airports said: “Under the leadership of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai’s aviation sector has been a core pillar of our city’s economic growth strategy to date, and it will continue to play a key role in the D33 Economic Agenda.

“Supported by strong air connectivity, Dubai has a prominent presence on the global stage for trade, investments, tourism, and is a leading player in aviation and logistics. Our ambitious plans for Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International airport, and our ongoing investments to expand capacity at Dubai International, will unlock further economic opportunities by supporting the projected demand for air transport. Our growth plans will generate even more skilled jobs, and also help drive innovation as we work with leading technology partners to develop future solutions to enhance travel experiences and make operations more efficient and secure.”  

Aviation sector’s contribution to Dubai economy

In 2023, Dubai’s aviation sector, consisting of Emirates Group, Dubai Airports (including Dubai International and Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum airports), and other aviation sector entities¹ are estimated to have supported AED 137 billion (USD 37.3 billion) in gross value added² (GVA), equivalent to 27% of Dubai’s GDP.  This included the core economic impact of AED 94 billion, and AED 43 billion from the catalytic impact of aviation-facilitated tourism. These figures are projected to increase steadily, with aviation activities facilitated by Emirates and Dubai Airports contributing AED 196 billion, or 32% of Dubai’s forecasted GDP by 2030 (in 2023 prices).

Aviation-led activity also accounted for 631,000 jobs across Dubai, equivalent to one in five jobs in the emirate in 2023. A further 185,000 aviation-linked jobs are expected to be created by 2030, with the total number of jobs supported by Dubai’s aviation sector forecast to grow to 816,000 jobs.

A previous economic impact report released by Oxford Economics in 2014 found that the aviation sector contributed to 27% of Dubai’s GDP and supported 417,000 jobs. While the latest results indicate the share of Dubai’s GDP has remained stable, the sector’s gross value added has increased in real terms, with the current figures reflecting faster growth across other sectors, as well as diversification in the wider economy over the past decade.

Dubai’s vital investment to futureproof its aviation sector and ensure it remains an economic driver, is evident in ongoing major investments to expand capacity and operations at Dubai International, in addition to a new generation facility at Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International. The new AED 128 billion airport will be five times the size of Dubai International, with the first phase to be completed in 10 years. When fully completed, Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International will consist of over 400 aircraft stands, with capacity to serve 260 million passengers annually. The expansion of Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International is not included in the study’s main impact results³; however, the construction project is expected to contribute an estimated AED 6.1 billion to Dubai’s GDP in 2030, as well as support 132,000 jobs.

The new airport and surrounding infrastructure will contribute to Dubai’s Economic Agenda (D33), which aims to strengthen the emirate’s trade and tourism footprint. D33’s progressive development plans also seek to make Dubai one of the most connected cities by adding 400 destinations to its foreign trade map, in addition to making it one of the top five logistics hubs in the world.

Aviation and tourism in Dubai

Aviation is also the driving force behind the growth of international tourism to Dubai. As one of the most frequented destinations in the world, visitors stayed an average of 3.8 nights in 2023⁴, spending an average of AED 4,300⁴ on hotels, restaurants, attractions and shopping. According to the report, international visitors flying to Dubai spent an estimated AED 66 billion last year.

In total, aviation-facilitated tourism spending is estimated to have contributed: AED 43 billion in gross value added, or 8.5% of Dubai’s GDP, supporting 329,000 jobs. More than half of GVA, AED 23 billion, was generated by those flying to Dubai with Emirates. Tourism to Dubai is projected to grow significantly over the next six years, with aviation-facilitated tourism spending expected to support AED 63 billion in gross value added, equivalent to 10% of Dubai’s projected GDP, as well as one in eight Dubai jobs.

The full Oxford Economics report ‘The Economic Impact of Aviation In Dubai’, can be found here

_{¹ Other aviation entities include flydubai, Dubai Duty Free, Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP), Dubai Police, Dubai Customs, Dubai Immigration, Dubai Air Navigation Services, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), and Dubai Aviation City Corporation.}

_{²Gross Value Added (GVA) is defined as the sum of compensation of employees and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA). It is also equal to revenue minus the cost of bought in goods and services used up to produce that revenue. Summed across all firms in an economy, and after small adjustments for taxes and subsidies, GVA is equal to GDP.}

_{³The Al Maktoum Airport (DWC) expansion announced in April 2024 is not included in the impact forecast. The DWC expansion would contribute an estimated AED 6.1 billion in gross value added to the economy in 2030, equivalent to 1.0% of Dubai’s forecasted GDP; and generate 132,000 jobs, equivalent to 3.7% of Dubai's employment in that year.}

_{^⁴ Based on Dubai Tourism 2023 Performance Report (link)}

Previously the company’s CEO for Australia, Hiranjan will now lead dnata Catering & Retail’s business and operations across the broader region. His remit will cover 11 airports in Australia and Singapore, with further expansion planned.  Hiranjan will manage a team of 4,500 culinary professionals who prepare and uplift over 70 million quality meals, ensuring an excellent onboard dining experience on over 250,000 flights annually.

Hiranjan will continue to be based in Brisbane, Australia, and report to Robin Padgett, CEO of dnata Catering & Retail.

Since joining dnata in 2005, Hiranjan has been instrumental in expanding the company’s catering and retail footprint in Australia. His notable achievements include the opening of four advanced catering facilities, the smooth integration of Qantas’ catering businesses, and the successful launch of new business channels.

Robin Padgett said: “Hiranjan’s promotion to Regional CEO is very well-deserved. Over the past two decades, he has consistently delivered exceptional results, establishing dnata Catering & Retail as Australia’s leading inflight caterer. His efforts in driving business growth and enhancing customer experience have been crucial to our success. I wish Hiranjan every success in this new role.”

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. The company’s 11,700 catering professionals produce over 123 million meals annually, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

dnata’s highly trained teams will produce and uplift more than 80,000 meals annually, ensuring a memorable dining experience onboard the South Korean carrier’s recently launched flights between Rome and Incheon (ICN). The airline will connect the Italian capital with South Korea with three weekly services.

Nicola Citarella, Chief Executive Officer, dnata Catering & Retail Italy, said: “We are delighted to welcome T’way Air to Rome and thank them for putting their trust in dnata’s services. It is a testament to the hard work and commitment of our teams in providing best-in-class services. We look forward to a long and successful partnership.”

Including T’way Air, dnata provides catering and retail services in Italy to 37 airline customers at 11 airports with a team of more than 880 hospitality professionals. In the financial year 2023-24, dnata Catering & Retail teams uplifted over 12 million meals for over 140,000 flights in the country.

T’way Air is a leading low-cost airline. Based in South Korea, it has been expanding its operations rapidly across Europe. Besides Rome, it has recently commenced flights to Barcelona, Frankfurt and Paris with solid plans to further enhance air connectivity between the continent and South Korea.

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. The company’s 10,500 catering professionals produce over 110 million meals annually, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

The Aviation Industry Awards celebrate the most innovative individuals and companies driving excellence in the UK's aviation sector.

Stewart Angus, dnata’s Regional CEO for Europe, who accepted the award on behalf of the company, said: “We are incredibly proud to receive this prestigious award, especially in such an important category. Being selected from a shortlist of leading aviation companies shows the real impact our teams are making through their hard work and dedication in reducing our environmental footprint. We will continue to work closely with our partners to drive a positive change in the aviation industry.”

Significant improvements across key performance metrics

dnata recently reported significant improvements across key environmental performance metrics for the financial year 2023-24. As a result of its consistent approach and initiatives, the company cut the carbon intensity of its operations by over 8%, 22% and 26% across its airport operations, travel and catering businesses, respectively. All data has been validated by Verifavia, an independent accredited environmental verification and auditing body.

Investing in renewable energy

dnata minimises emissions across its businesses using renewable energy where available, and in some markets, such as the UK and Ireland, it exclusively procures solar and wind energy. Most recently, it has installed solar panels across several facilities in Pakistan and the Philippines to avoid consuming fossil-fuel powered electricity. 

Transforming fleet

dnata also consistently invests in its modern fleet to improve environmental efficiency. Its fleet strategy commits to phasing out diesel-operated engines and switching to hybrid, electric, or hydrogen wherever airports have provided the necessary infrastructure. As a result of its investments in recent years, 65% of dnata’s fleet is now electric in the Netherlands, 44% in Italy, 40% in the UK, and 39% in Switzerland.

Minimising fuel consumption with the latest technologies and training

dnata maintains a strong focus on minimising fuel consumption. It monitors the consumption of fuel across its fleet of ground support equipment (GSE) using Vehicle Tracking Management systems; conducts logistics mapping exercises to ensure minimal distances are travelled airside; and optimises shifts and parking slots to avoid excessive fuel burn.

In addition, it tracks the behaviour of drivers, including vehicle idling times, and has key performance indicators linked to the environmental management system. dnata promotes more responsible driver behaviour through education, awareness and training.

Engaging with alternative fuel suppliers

dnata actively engages with biofuel suppliers to reduce emissions. Several of dnata’s businesses have already deployed low carbon alternatives to replace diesel: in Schiphol airport, it has replaced over 674,000 litres with hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO100) in the previous financial year. 

Most recently, it has transitioned its entire non-electric fleet to biodiesel at the two Dubai airports, Dubai International (DXB) and Al Maktoum - Dubai World Central (DWC).

Reducing waste to landfill

dnata actively minimises waste across its operations through consistent initiatives. Its catering & retail teams are working closely with many of its airline customers to analyse consumption trends and use predictive data to optimise the loading of F&B for in-flight catering. Analysis of on-board data not only reduces food waste but also fuel burn associated with carrying excess weight.

dnata has also taken further initiatives across its business units to recycle materials. Its cargo businesses have implemented circular economy principles to repurpose plastics into materials for other industries. Meanwhile, several of its catering businesses eliminated single-use plastics across their operations.

Operating from its Milan Malpensa (MXP) airport facilities, dnata’s expert teams will prepare and supply over 200,000 meals annually, ensuring a top tier, ‘smooth as silk’ dining experience on the Thai flag carrier’s daily flights from Milan to Bangkok (BKK).

Nicola Citarella, Chief Executive Officer, dnata Catering & Retail Italy, said: “We are delighted to welcome Thai Airways as their exclusive catering supplier at MXP. Our experienced team will consistently provide outstanding culinary products and services that contribute to the passengers’ memorable journey. We look forward to a long and successful partnership.”

Including Thai Airways, dnata provides catering and retail services in Italy to 36 airline customers at 11 main airports with a team of more than 880 hospitality professionals. In the financial year 2023-24, dnata Catering & Retail teams uplifted some 12 million meals for over 140,000 flights in the country.

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. The company’s 10,500 catering professionals produce over 110 million meals annually, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

The agreement will see dnata provide quality inflight catering services to the UK’s flag carrier on its services to London Heathrow Airport (LHR). dnata’s highly trained teams will produce and uplift 150,000 meals annually to ensure an excellent dining experience on board the airline’s twice daily flights.

The new contract expands the two parties’ long-standing partnership which now covers four cities, including Boston, Houston, Nashville and Newark, in the USA.

Peter DeVito, Chief Executive Officer, dnata Catering North America, said: “We are delighted to expand our great partnership with British Airways throughout the USA. Our expert team will consistently produce exceptional culinary offerings that will contribute to the passenger’s travel experience. We will continue to invest in our team, infrastructure and product improvement to remain at the forefront of industry excellence.”

Including British Airways, dnata provides catering and retail services to 40 airline customers at 12 airports with a team of more than 1,000 hospitality professionals throughout the USA. In the financial year 2023-24, dnata Catering & Retail teams uplifted more than 9.8 million meals in the country, which represents an over 9% growth year over year.

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. The company’s 10,500 catering professionals produce over 110 million meals annually, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

dnata’s highly trained teams will produce and uplift more than 200,000 meals annually to ensure a world-class dining experience on board the Italian flag carrier’s daily flights from both airports to Rome.

Peter DeVito, Chief Executive Officer, dnata Catering North America, said: “We are proud to have been selected as the exclusive catering supplier to ITA Airways in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Our experienced team will contribute to the excellent on-board experience by consistently delivering outstanding meals that passengers love.

“We look forward to a long and prosperous partnership with the ITA Airways team.”

Including ITA Airways, dnata provides catering and retail services to over 40 airline customers at 12 airports with a team of more than 1,000 hospitality professionals throughout the USA. In Los Angeles and San Francisco, dnata uplifted over three million meals for over 11,000 individual flights in the last financial year 2023-24.

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. The company’s 10,500 catering professionals produce over 110 million meals annually, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

As a result of its consistent investments in renewable infrastructure, equipment, training and alternative fuel options, the company achieved significant improvements across key environmental performance metrics in the recently ended financial year. 

Steve Allen, CEO of dnata Group, said: “It’s encouraging to see the tangible impact of our global investments and initiatives on our environmental performance.

“While we keep a laser focus on sustainability in every decision we make, we recognise that achieving meaningful results requires a collective effort and flexible approach from multiple stakeholders. In some cases, the availability of alternative fuels such as electric and biofuels is moving slower than we would like. We will continue to actively engage with our partners to explore and implement practical solutions that enable us to replace energy sources with lower carbon alternatives and minimise waste sent to landfills.”

Significant improvements across key performance metrics

dnata’s ground handling, cargo, travel, and catering & retail businesses measure direct and indirect emissions related to the number of flight turnarounds and revenue to enable comparison and year-on-year improvement.

In the financial year 2023-24*, dnata’s environmental data has been externally verified by Verifavia.  dnata’s carbon intensity measured in kilograms of CO₂ equivalent emissions per aircraft turnaround has reduced by 8.4%** for its ground handling and cargo businesses. Meanwhile, its carbon intensity measured in grams of CO₂ equivalent emissions compared to revenue for catering and travel businesses has reduced by 26.3%** and 22.5%**, respectively. 

Furthermore, the company diverted 65%** of waste from landfill across its operations globally. 

Investing in renewable energy

dnata minimises emissions across its businesses using renewable energy where available, and in some markets, such as the UK and Ireland, it exclusively procures solar and wind energy. Most recently, it has installed solar panels across several facilities in Pakistan and the Philippines to avoid consuming fossil-fuel powered electricity. 

Transforming fleet

dnata also consistently invests in its modern fleet to improve environmental efficiency. Its fleet strategy commits to phasing out diesel-operated engines and switching to hybrid, electric, or hydrogen wherever airports have provided the necessary infrastructure. As a result of its investments in recent years, 65% of dnata’s fleet is now electric in the Netherlands, 44% in Italy, 40% in the UK, and 39% in Switzerland.

Minimising fuel consumption with the latest technologies and training

dnata maintains a strong focus on minimising fuel consumption. It monitors the consumption of fuel across its fleet of ground support equipment (GSE) using Vehicle Tracking Management systems; conducts logistics mapping exercises to ensure minimal distances are travelled airside; and optimises shifts and parking slots to avoid excessive fuel burn.

In addition, it tracks the behaviour of drivers, including idling times, and has key performance indicators linked to the environmental management system. dnata promotes more responsible driver behaviour through education, awareness and training.

Engaging with alternative fuel suppliers

dnata actively engages with biofuel suppliers to reduce emissions. Several of dnata’s businesses have already deployed low carbon alternatives to replace diesel: in Schiphol airport, it has replaced over 674,000 litres with hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO100) in the previous financial year.

Besides, the company now uses a blend of biofuel across its landside fleets in dnata logistics, City Sightseeing Tours, Arabian Adventures, and Alpha Flight Services in the UAE. This transition to biofuel has contributed to emissions reductions of about 2,200 tonnes of CO₂ over the lifecycle of the fuel.

Reducing waste to landfill

dnata actively minimises waste across its operations through consistent initiatives. Its catering & retail teams are working closely with many of its airline customers to analyse consumption trends and use predictive data to optimise the loading of F&B for in-flight catering. Analysis of on-board data not only reduces food waste but also fuel burn associated with carrying excess weight.

dnata has also taken further initiatives across its business units to recycle materials. Its cargo businesses have implemented circular economy principles to repurpose plastics into materials for other industries. Meanwhile, several of its catering businesses eliminated single-use plastics across their operations.

IATA’s IEnvA Certification

In September 2023, dnata became the first combined air services provider to receive the International Air Transport Association’ (IATA) environmental management certification as a recognition of its unwavering commitment to sustainability across its diverse portfolio of businesses in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).  

* The financial year 2023-24 started on 1 April 2023 and ended on 31 March 2024.

**In the financial year 2023-24, compared to the financial year 2022-23 (ended on 31 March 2023). For more information, visit: Emirates Group Annual Report 2023-24.

The robot, which dnata has been actively trialling in its Australian operations, will prepare and serve mouth-watering dishes including stir-fried beef with oyster sauce, kung pao shrimp and stir-fried shitake mushrooms with tofu during the three-day event.

The trial is part of dnata’s ongoing efforts to enhance quality and efficiency with AI-driven digital kitchen solutions, such as its advanced systems that optimise production using consumption data.

Robin Padgett, CEO of dnata Catering & Retail, said: “We are committed to constantly pushing our boundaries to future-proof our operations and consistently deliver top-notch services for our customers. 

“The ongoing trials of cooking robots complement many initiatives that have already proven successful in maximising operational efficiency and production in our kitchens. We are excited about the initial, excellent results and will continue to work closely with our partners to fine-tune these advanced machines for commercial use and scale the solution to meet the demand for automated, quality culinary services.

“We look forward to meeting with our existing and future partners in Hamburg!”

The robot showcased at dnata Catering & Retail’s stand is developed by BOTINKIT, a China-based food-tech start-up. It can authentically replicate a chef’s stir-frying technique, down to every detail. Each robot is equipped with an induction pot that mimics the wok-flipping movements of human chefs, ensuring even and simultaneous heating for the ingredients. Additionally, they use precision seasoning technology, ensuring consistent taste for each dish. Users can seal in the flavours through precise temperature control.

A built-in smart assistant provides voice guidance to ensure confidence in every step.  The robots also have an automatic cleaning function which minimises the need for manual cleaning and scrubbing.

dnata’s spacious stand in Hamburg also features a live cooking station, offering visitors world-class culinary experiences. dnata’s senior executives and award-winning chefs from across the globe are present to engage with customers and partners throughout WTCE.

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. The company’s 11,700 catering professionals produce over 123 million meals annually, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

WTCE is the leading global event for the travel catering, onboard retail, and passenger comfort industries. In 2024, the event is taking place between 28-30 May in Hamburg, Germany.

dnata’s highly trained teams will produce and uplift more than 125,000 meals annually to ensure a world-class dining experience on board the airline’s four weekly flights to Abu Dhabi, starting 31 March 2024.

Peter DeVito, Chief Executive Officer, dnata Catering North America, said: “We are delighted to have been appointed as the exclusive catering supplier to Etihad Airways in Boston. Our experienced team will consistently deliver outstanding culinary products that contribute to the passenger’s exceptional journey.

“We look forward to working closely with Etihad and will continue to invest in our people, infrastructure and products to be the best in everything we do.”

Including Etihad Airways, dnata provides catering and retail services to 40 airline customers at 12 airports with a team of more than 1000 hospitality professionals throughout the USA. In Boston, dnata uplifted 1.5 million meals for 8000 individual flights at Boston Logan Airport in the last financial year 2022-23.

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. The company’s 10,500 catering professionals produce over 110 million meals annually, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

Today’s meeting follows dnata’s launch of their first catering facility at Sunshine Coast Airport in January, having partnered with Bonza, Australia’s newest low-cost airline. The creation of the new facility was a collaborative effort to offer quality catering & retail services for carriers locally. Since the launch, the catering services provider uplifted 250,000 retail products.

dnata’s retail experts have worked closely with Bonza’s team to select and develop a broad range of Australian made products. These include quality meals, beverages, and snacking items, helping the airline provide a fresh approach to the onboard experience and maximise ancillary revenue.

To date, dnata has invested more than AUS$ 1 million in products sourced from local Australian suppliers, including suppliers based on the Sunshine Coast. This direct investment has stimulated economic growth, fostering job creation and contributing to the overall expansion of businesses in the region.

Hiranjan Aloysius, CEO of dnata Catering & Retail Australia, said: “As Australia’s leading inflight caterer, we are committed to playing our part in the growth and development of the Sunshine Coast’s aviation industry. We will continue to invest and work in partnership with the airport to ensure a consistent world-class dining experience for passengers on board each flight. In all our efforts, we will be dedicated to bolstering local businesses and supporting communities across the region.  

“We thank Sunshine Coast Airport and our customers for their trust in our quality services and look forward to future collaboration.”

Chris Mills, CEO of Sunshine Coast Airport, said: “The Sunshine Coast and wider region is experiencing rapid growth in its population, industry and economy. It’s important the Airport continues to support this growth by creating new opportunities. We’ve invested significantly in dnata’s facility to help create jobs and opportunities for local food and beverage providers. Our work with dnata has led to the creation of the first catering and retail facility based at Sunshine Coast Airport, supporting Bonza’s all Australian menu. I want to thank dnata for their support of the Airport and local businesses across the region.”

About dnata
Including its newest catering centre at Sunshine Coast Airport, dnata Catering now operates 15 facilities with a team of over 4,000 highly trained professionals, providing tailor-made inflight catering and retail services at 10 airports across Australia.

dnata is a leading global air and travel services provider. Established in 1959, the company offers quality and safe ground handling, cargo, travel, catering and retail services in over 30 countries across six continents. In the financial year 2022-23, dnata’s customer-oriented teams handled over 710,000 aircraft turns, moved over 2.7 million tonnes of cargo, uplifted 111.4 million meals, and recorded a total transaction value (TTV) of travel services of US$ 1.9 billion.

About Sunshine Coast Airport
Sunshine Coast Airport is the fastest growing airport in Australia and the first airport in Australia to hold Level 3+ Carbon Neutrality status. By 2040, total direct employment at the Airport is expected to grow from 530 to 2,400 direct jobs and contribute an estimated $406million in total to Australia’s GDP.

Sunshine Coast Airport Pty Ltd operates and manages Sunshine Coast Airport, the gateway to the Sunshine Coast and Noosa regions, under a 99-year lease from Sunshine Coast Council which commenced in December 2017. In July 2023, Sunshine Coast Airport was declared a priority development area (PDA) by the Queensland Government.

Sunshine Coast Airport services 14 destinations including Adelaide, Albury, Auckland, Avalon, Cairns, Darwin, Mackay, Melbourne, Mildura, Newcastle, Rockhampton, Sydney, Townsville and Whitsunday Coast.  

Hiranjan Aloysius, CEO of dnata Catering & Retail Australia, said: “As Australia’s leading inflight caterer, we are committed to contributing to the local economy and communities across our operations. We pride ourselves in our extensive work with local suppliers, aiding their achievements, while ensuring our produce is locally sourced and super fresh. This ensures that our airline customers receive best-in-class, international quality cuisine with the least possible environmental footprint.”

dnata delivers excellent dining experiences for millions of passengers on board over 45 airline customers’ international and domestic flights. Produce supplied to dnata Catering is sourced from 120 producers across Australia, providing 329 tonnes of red meat, 117 tonnes of sea food, plus 2,700 tonnes of fruit and vegetables annually. To create sumptuous dishes, dnata’s chefs also use over one million litres of milk and 134 tonnes of cheese from local markets. A total of 274 tonnes of ice cream is used annually to create a variety of delicious desserts.

dnata’s extensive operations throughout Australia, including its state-of-the-art facility in Melbourne, use the finest ingredients from the closest possible source, contributing to the success of local suppliers. Vegetables such as radishes, herbs, spring onions, Dutch carrots, cabbages, and beetroot are locally grown in each location. This minimises the environmental impact from long haul logistics and handling, providing the freshest produce possible to dnata Catering and its airline customers.

For example, a dish created by dnata’s Melbourne catering team for a global airline’s First and Business class passengers, consists of beef tenderloin sourced locally from Victoria, steamed mange tout from Mildura, Victoria, crushed potatoes from Virginia, South Australia, and local Victoria-grown parsley.

dnata’s Australian-produced meals are also served on international flights into the country. Several airlines with tight turnaround schedules prefer to transport their inflight meals and snacks for both legs of a flight, ensuring passengers receive dnata’s consistent quality cuisine.

Including its newest catering centre at Sunshine Coast Airport (MCY), dnata Catering now operates 15 facilities with a team of over 3,000 highly trained professionals, providing tailor-made inflight catering and retail services at 10 airports across Australia.

dnata is a leading global air and travel services provider. Established in 1959, the company offers quality and safe ground handling, cargo, travel, catering and retail services in over 30 countries across six continents. In the financial year 2022-23, dnata’s customer-oriented teams handled over 710,000 aircraft turns, moved over 2.7 million tonnes of cargo, uplifted 111.4 million meals, and recorded a total transaction value (TTV) of travel services of US$ 1.9 billion.

All data as of financial year 2022-23, ending 31 March 2023

Steve Allen, CEO of dnata Group, said: “As we mark Civil Aviation Day in the UAE, it is an honour to celebrate the remarkable achievements of the local aviation industry alongside the authorities, our partners and team.

“Since its foundation in 1959, dnata’s journey has been one of dedication, innovation and relentless commitment to service excellence. We are extremely proud to see how our company and its hardworking teams have played an instrumental role in the success and growth of Dubai and the UAE aviation industry. 

“Aviation is a vital driver of economic progress, and we look forward to contributing to the UAE’s further development by consistently providing best-in-class services across our diverse operations.”

dnata was founded in January 1959 with just two staff operating solely as a UAE-based travel agency. Since then, it has constantly expanded its operations and services, growing to become pivotal to the success and growth of Dubai, and of the country’s aviation industry.

dnata’s milestones over the past 64 years include:

• Playing an instrumental part in the design of the original Dubai International airport (DXB) in the 1960s and its three terminals
• The first aircraft turnaround at DXB’s newly-opened terminal in 1971
• The launch of marhaba and its renowned airport hospitality services in 1991
• Its expansion into Dubai World Central airport (DWC) in 2010     
• The opening of a new export customer service centre and Cargo Integrated Control Centre at Dubai Airport Freezone (DAFZA) in 2016
• The completion of the UAE’s first “green” turnaround of a flydubai aircraft at DXB in 2019, an achievement made possible by consistent investments in zero-emission, electric ramp ground support equipment.

Having mirrored Dubai’s growth, the dnata Group presently employs over 23,000 staff, delivering world-class services to over 190 passenger and cargo airlines across the UAE. Every day, the company’s customer-oriented professionals assist over 86,000 passengers, handle over 220,000 bags, manage 580 safe aircraft turnarounds and move 1,600 tonnes of cargo in Dubai. Besides, marhaba’s best-in-class Lounge and Meet & Greet services ensure a smooth and memorable airport journey for over 8,000 passengers per day. dnata also provides over 25,000 meals each day through its Alpha Flight Services joint venture in Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah.

Further to its success in the UAE, dnata took a huge leap forward with the launch of its first overseas operation, Gerry’s dnata in Pakistan in 1993. This strategic move led the way for the expansion of dnata’s global operations through acquisitions, partnerships, as well as organic growth over the past three decades. dnata has evolved into a leading global player in the aviation, catering & retail and travel industries that currently provides quality and safe services in more than 30 countries across six continents.

IATA Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) is a certification programme developed to independently assess the commitment of aviation stakeholders such as airlines, airports, cargo handling facilities, freight forwarders, and ramp handlers, to continuously improve their environmental and sustainability performance.

IATA’s comprehensive evaluation encompassed 74 mandatory and all three optional modules, rigorously assessing dnata’s sustainability practices and efforts across its extensive operations in the UAE. In addition to its corporate Headquarters, ground handling and cargo businesses, dnata’s airport hospitality brand, marhaba, and inflight catering joint venture, Alpha Flight Services (Alpha), have also been certified through IEnvA’s hospitality module. DUBZ, dnata’s baggage technology and logistics company, also received the certification. This remarkable outcome attests to dnata’s commitment to maintaining the highest standards of sustainability.

Steve Allen, CEO of dnata Group, said: “We are immensely proud to be the first combined air services provider to achieve the full scope of the IEnvA certification in the UAE. This accomplishment speaks volumes about our team's dedication to sustainability and responsible business practices across our operations. We will continue our investments in people, infrastructure and equipment to maximise environmental efficiency, while consistently delivering best-in-class services for our customers and travellers in the UAE and beyond.”

Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President, Sustainability and Chief Economist, commented: “I would like to extend my most sincere congratulations to dnata for achieving full IEnvA Certification in the UAE. This is a remarkable achievement that reflects their unwavering dedication to environmental sustainability and responsible business practices. I commend the efforts of everyone involved and wish dnata continued success in their role of our industry's sustainability journey.”

dnata recently announced that it was on track to reduce its carbon footprint and waste to landfill by 20% by 2024 as part of its two-year green operations strategy. Previously, the company committed US$ 100 million to implement green technology and initiatives across its businesses to achieve its strategic objectives. The company’s recent key initiatives include continued significant investment in infrastructure, green ground support solutions and process improvement.

dnata is a leading global air and travel services provider. Established in 1959, the company offers quality and safe ground handling, cargo, travel, catering and retail services in over 30 countries across six continents. In the financial year 2022-23, dnata’s customer-oriented teams handled over 710,000 aircraft turns, moved over 2.7 million tonnes of cargo, uplifted 111.4 million meals, and recorded a total transaction value (TTV) of travel services of US$ 1.9 billion.

dnata’s highly-trained teams will produce and uplift more than 30,000 meals annually to ensure an excellent dining experience on board the airline’s flights. China Airlines currently operates two weekly services between the Czech capital and Taipei.

Frantisek Sir, Managing Director, dnata Catering & Retail, Czech Republic, said: “We are proud to have earned the trust of China Airlines with our innovative approach and uncompromising focus on service excellence. Our experienced team will make every effort to consistently deliver exceptional products that contribute to a memorable journey for each passenger.

“We look forward to a long and prosperous partnership with our newest customer and continue to invest in our team, infrastructure and product improvement to remain at the forefront of excellence in the industry."

Including China Airlines, dnata provides catering and retail services to more than 15 airline customers in the Czech Republic. Over the past year, the company has significantly increased production to support airlines in ramping up their operations in the country. In the financial year 2022-23, dnata uplifted over 4.5 million meals at Prague Airport, which represents 80% growth year over year. To support the growth, the company has hired 20 additional, local staff and now employs over 160 dedicated professionals in the Czech capital.

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. The company’s 10,500 catering professionals produce over 110 million meals annually, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

dnata’s latest initiative is part of its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and waste to landfill by 20% by 2024 in line with its two-year green operations strategy. In June 2022, dnata announced that it would invest US$100 million in green operations in two years to further enhance its environmental efficiency globally.

dnata’s group brands cutting fossil fuel dependence

dnata Logistics has switched 31 of its trucks to be run on a biofuel blend at its Dubai-based hub. Providing multimodal freight forwarding, logistics, supply chain and road transport services, its trucks cover up to a total 217,000 kilometres per month. The move saves almost 35 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year, the equivalent of eight petrol-powered cars driven for one whole year.

City Sightseeing Dubai, a joint venture with dnata Travel Group, operates three tour routes, providing elevated viewing of Dubai’s top attractions, through the use of 21 open-top, biofueled buses. These cover an average 76,000 kilometres per month, removing over 32 tonnes of CO₂ emissions each year: the equivalent of the electricity use of four average homes for 12 months.

Alpha Flight Services (Alpha), dnata’s inflight catering joint venture, has already switched five landside vehicles to biofuel blend, and is also in the process of transitioning all of its Sharjah-based airside catering trucks. Alpha now sends its used cooking oil to the biofuel manufacturer and once recycled, it is then re-used within its vehicles. Research shows that one litre of oil recycled into biofuel avoids the emissions of 3kg of CO₂, a reduction of 92% compared to diesel fuel use. Alpha’s vehicles cover over 27,000 kilometres per month, supporting the company’s extensive catering operations that create over 25,000 meals a day. As a result of the initiative, Alpha will save seven tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year, the equivalent of charging over 850,000 smartphones.

Arabian Adventures has also switched the generators at its desert safari camps to a biofuel mix. The most experienced tour and safaris operator in the UAE, offering true Arabian hospitality, desert safaris, experiences and dune buggies, is saving almost five tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year as a result of the initiative. This equates to 1987 litres of diesel.

Besides its recent investment in landside operations, dnata has significantly invested in the electrification of its ground handling fleet across its global airport operations to reduce emissions, with more than 15% of the company’s global fleet now electrified. However, dnata understands that electrification is not the only solution for all vehicles throughout its group, and invests in a mix of equipment types and renewable fuel sources to maximise environmental and operational efficiency globally. It already operates biodiesel, electric and hybrid vehicles as well as actively exploring the use of hydrogen-powered equipment in its operations.

dnata’s other recent key initiatives include continued significant investment in renewable infrastructure, low-emissions ground support solutions and process improvements to optimise fuel efficiency. dnata continues to make significant investments in renewable energy including the installation of rooftop solar panels across its existing facilities, and capture and recycling of grey water or rainwater for conservation.

Waste to landfill focus

In order to reduce its environmental footprint in ways other than emissions, dnata is determined to reduce waste to landfill, and is collaborating with industry leaders and policymakers on the treatment of international catering waste. In addition, dnata is investing in sustainable solutions to recycle cargo waste materials, such as transport belts and nets. In close co-ordination with the airport community to enhance the segregation and retrieval of recyclables airside, dnata is targeting a 20% diversion of waste from landfill by 2024.

dnata is a leading global air and travel services provider. Established in 1959, the company offers quality and safe ground handling, cargo, travel, catering and retail services in over 30 countries across six continents. In the financial year 2022-23, dnata’s customer-oriented teams handled over 710,000 aircraft turns, moved over 2.7 million tonnes of cargo, uplifted 111.4 million meals, and recorded a total transaction value (TTV) of travel services of US$ 1.9 billion.

dnata’s highly-trained teams will produce and uplift more than 700,000 meals annually to ensure a world-class dining experience on board the two airlines’ flights. Lufthansa and SWISS currently operate a total of 21 weekly services out of Singapore.

Hiranjan Aloysius, CEO of dnata Catering & Retail Australia and Singapore, said: “We are proud to be the inflight caterer of choice for Lufthansa and SWISS, two leading international carriers that are both renowned for their commitment to quality. We will continue to work closely with the airlines’ team to contribute to their excellent on-board experience by delivering innovative menus and delicious meals that passengers love.”

Benedict Fanconi, Head of Catering Operations & Logistics at SWISS, said: “dnata has proven itself as a reliable catering partner over the past years. We are pleased that we can extend our cooperation and offer our passengers from Singapore our culinary offerings at the usual high level.”

Klaus Berger, Head of Hospitality & Catering Management at Lufthansa German Airlines, added: “We very much appreciate the renewal of our successful partnership with dnata. Our guests can continue to enjoy high quality catering on their flights to Germany and Switzerland.”

Including the German and Swiss carriers, dnata provides catering and retail services to more than 30 customers with a team of 380 dedicated employees in Singapore. Over the past year, the company has substantially increased production to support airlines in restarting and expanding their operations in the country. In the financial year 2022-23, dnata uplifted over 3.4 million meals at Changi Airport, which represents a 35% growth year over year.

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. The company’s 10,500 catering professionals produce over 110 million meals annually, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

dnata’s unique culinary demonstration features the world’s first AI-powered robot capable of handling cooking operations in commercial and residential kitchens. Developed by Moley Robotics, it is able to recreate identical dishes at scale by following pre-recorded chef instructions. It is equipped with multiple sensors and machine learning capabilities, enabling it to precisely measure ingredients and execute complex cooking techniques. The innovative solution ensures consistent quality, high levels of safety, and rapid adaptation to changing parameters in real-time. 

Robin Padgett, CEO of dnata Catering & Retail, said: “We are excited to showcase a revolutionary cooking robot alongside our world-class culinary and retail offering at the World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo.

“We are constantly looking for ways to further improve quality and efficiency by leveraging the latest technologies, including artificial intelligence and automation, across our global network. In recent years we have implemented a number of sophisticated solutions to optimise various aspects of our operations, ranging from consumption analysis to ingredient sourcing, inventory and waste management. We will continue to closely monitor trends and further integrate AI into our operations to harness the power of innovation.  

“We look forward to meeting and discussing the exciting future of our industry with our partners at our unique stand in Hamburg.”

In addition to the cooking robot, dnata’s guests can also meet Bella, a hospitality robot, who serves world-class meals and refreshments at WTCE. Bella’s twin bot already resides in the UAE and assists guests at Sharjah Airport’s (SHJ) lounge along with its partner, Kitty. ‘The Lounge’ at SHJ is operated by dnata’s local joint venture, Alpha Flight Services.

dnata’s spacious stand in Hamburg also features a live cooking station, offering visitors world-class culinary experiences. dnata’s senior executives and award-winning chefs from across the globe will be present to engage with customers and partners throughout WTCE.

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. The company’s 10,500 catering professionals produce over 110 million meals annually, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

WTCE is the leading global event for the travel catering, onboard retail, and passenger comfort industries. In 2023, the event is taking place between 6-8 June in Hamburg, Germany.

In June 2022, dnata announced that it would invest US$100 million in green operations in two years to further enhance its global environmental efficiency globally.

Steve Allen, CEO of dnata Group, said: “We are proud to have made significant progress on improving our environmental performance since the announcement of our strategic objectives. I thank each member of our team for their hard work and contribution to our green initiatives that help us make a difference across our global operations. 

“We will continue our investments and efforts alongside our partners to further reduce our environmental footprint.”

Investing in renewable energy

As part of its efforts to further improve global resource efficiency, dnata has continued to make significant investments in renewable energy. This includes the installation of rooftop solar power systems across its existing facilities.

dnata has installed solar panels at its operating facilities in Singapore, and at its SnapFresh facility in Australia. These generate over 4,300 MWh of renewable electricity annually, saving approximately 1.85 million kilogrammes of carbon dioxide emissions. Phase 1 of a solar PV panel installation in Pakistan also commenced, which is expected to generate 244,000 kWh per annum. Furthermore, all electricity purchased in the UK and Ireland is from renewables from local grids.

Conserving water

In addition to solar power, dnata is investing in systems to collect and re-use condensate from air conditioning units and rainwater at both of its existing and new facilities. These initiatives optimise water usage and associated costs.

dnata’s new 20,000m2 cargo facility in Iraq, which will begin operations in 2024, will include environmentally sustainable features including a rooftop rainwater harvesting system. This will capture, treat and store rainwater in underground tanks, feeding irrigation systems within the facility as well as for potable uses, achieving a 50% saving on water costs by 2025. The system has also been configured in the Philippines using the same technology, but to collect and recycle rainwater for drinking and washing purposes. This technology will also shortly be implemented at dnata’s Singapore facilities.

With the UAE’s dry climate, dnata has installed a Reverse Osmosis Plant to re-use condensate water from the cooling systems in its cargo warehouses in Dubai. This has resulted in 5,000 litres of water per day being reused for washing and cleaning.

dnata also launched a bottle-free drinking water system at its Corporate Headquarters, dnata Travel Centre and Alpha catering facilities, which will reduce plastic consumption and conserve over 95,000 litres of bottled water per year.

Transforming GSE fleet and using biofuels

dnata continues to invest in the electrification of its ground handling fleet, and the use of biofuels where feasible, to reduce emissions. More than 15% of the company’s global fleet is now electrified. dnata is continuing to support its global airport partners to prepare the infrastructure for further electrification.

dnata understands that electrification is not the only solution to its ground handling fleet strategy. It carefully considers airports’ climatic conditions and available infrastructure, and invests in a mix of equipment types, including biodiesel, electric, hydrogen and hybrid to maximise environmental and operational efficiency globally.

As part of the crucial role that it plays during busy winter operations in Switzerland, dnata added five new hybrid de-icing trucks to its ground support equipment (GSE) fleet in 2022. This increased the number of electric GSE in its operations in the country to 35%. In The Netherlands, dnata switched to 100% biofuel for all its legacy GSE fleet in January 2023, marking another milestone in its sustainable journey in Amsterdam, where 55% of its fleet is electric.

Reducing waste to landfill

In order to reduce its carbon footprint in ways other than emissions, dnata is determined to reduce waste to landfill, and is collaborating with industry leaders and policymakers on the treatment of international catering waste. In close co-ordination with the airport community to enhance the segregation and retrieval of recyclables airside, dnata is targeting a 20% diversion of waste from landfill by 2024. In addition, dnata is investing in sustainable solutions for cargo waste materials, such as transport belts and nets that are currently destined for landfill.

dnata Catering’s retail division is also working closely with its airline partners, introducing the pre-ordering of passenger inflight meals. This cuts significant food wastage, and therefore the need for airlines to burn larger quantities of fuel to transport heavier aircraft, reducing emissions.

IATA’s IEnvA Programme

In December 2022, dnata signed up to the IATA Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) programme, based on globally recognised environmental and sustainability standards, as well as industry best practices. It is a commitment to continually improve environmental sustainability within the aviation field and is focused specifically on dnata’s core operations. These include cargo handling facilities, catering, freight forwarders, and ramp handlers. dnata is working towards full certification prior to the end of 2023.

United Nations Global Impact

dnata also joined the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), a voluntary global initiative that promotes responsible business practices, and the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals. dnata has committed to implement the Ten Principles of the UNGC in the areas of human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption. dnata will benefit from access to the UNGC’s extensive tools and resources to engage with its employees across the globe and improve their learning and training in Sustainability.

dnata is a leading global air and travel services provider. Established in 1959, the company offers quality and safe ground handling, cargo, travel, catering and retail services in 38 countries across six continents. In the financial year 2022-23, dnata’s customer-oriented teams handled over 710,000 aircraft turns, moved over 2.7 million tonnes of cargo, uplifted 111.4 million meals, and recorded a total transaction value (TTV) of travel services of US$ 1.9 billion.

Emirates achieved new record profits, a complete turnaround from its loss position last year. Both Emirates and dnata saw significant revenue increases in 2022-23 as the Group expanded its air transport and travel-related operations following the removal of nearly all pandemic-related restrictions around the world.

For the financial year ended 31 March 2023, the Emirates Group posted a record profit of AED 10.9 billion (US$ 3.0 billion) compared with an AED 3.8 billion (US$ 1.0 billion) loss for last year. The Group’s revenue was AED 119.8 billion (US$ 32.6 billion), an increase of 81% over last year’s results. The Group’s cash balance was AED 42.5 billion (US$ 11.6 billion), the highest ever reported, up 65% from last year mainly due to strong demand across its core business divisions and markets.  

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates airline and Group, said: “We’re proud of our 2022-23 performance which is not only a full recovery, but also a record result. This achievement would not have been possible without HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, whose leadership has been critical to our success today and through the years. The architect of Dubai’s progressive economic policies, HH Sheikh Mohammed is also the engine behind the Emirates Group’s trajectory. Without his drive and support, Emirates will be half the size of what we are today.”

He added: I’m proud of the Emirates Group’s performance for 2022-23, and our contribution to the restoration of air transport and tourism across the markets we serve, including Dubai’s astounding 97% year-on-year growth in international visitors for 2022. The Group is the biggest player in the UAE’s aviation sector, which supports over 770,000 jobs and generates an estimated contribution to GDP of over US$ 47 billion (AED 172.5 billion). With our growth plans, and in line with the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, we expect to significantly increase our contribution to the UAE’s GDP over the next decade through direct and indirect employment, supply chain spending, tourism spend, and trade and commerce benefits from the movement of cargo.”

Commenting on the Group’s 2022-23 turnaround performance, Sheikh Ahmed said: “We had anticipated the strong return of travel, and as the last travel restrictions lifted and triggered a tide of demand, we were ready to expand our operations quickly and safely to serve our customers. Our ongoing investments in our brand, and in our products and services, helped drive customer preference and position us favourably in the market. As a result, we have delivered a record financial performance and cash balance for our financial year 2022-23.  This reflects the strength of our proven business model, our careful forward planning, the hard work of all our employees, and our solid partnerships across the aviation and travel ecosystem.”

To support expanded operations and to bolster the Group’s future capabilities, Emirates and dnata ramped up recruitment activity across the globe during the year. As a result, the Group’s total workforce increased by 20% to 102,379 employees, representing over 160 different nationalities.

In 2022-23, the Group collectively invested AED 7.2 billion (US$ 2.0 billion) in new aircraft, facilities, equipment, companies, and the latest technologies to position the business for future growth. Our commitments include: a massive multi-billion dollar aircraft cabin retrofit programme; an order for 5 new 777 freighters; the building of a new pilot training centre; the opening of Bustanica, the world’s largest vertical farm in Dubai under a partnership with CropOne; new training aircraft for its cadets at Emirates Flight Training Academy; dnata’s acquisition of 30% shares to gain full ownership of its ground handling operations in Brazil; and the building of a new advanced cargo facility in Erbil, Iraq.

The Emirates Group also continued to progress on its sustainability journey during the year. Notably, it signed up to the United Nations Global Compact, a voluntary initiative where Emirates and dnata will work towards making the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Principles part of their strategy, culture, and operations. The Group also signed the UAE Gender Balance Council’s pledge to increase female representation at mid-senior management positions to 30% across the country by 2025.

Amongst its numerous environmental initiatives, a key highlight for Emirates was the successful conduct of a demonstration flight with 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in one engine of a Boeing 777. This first-in-region initiative contributes to collective industry data and efforts to enable a future of 100% SAF flying. dnata in 2022-23 pledged to invest US$ 100 million (AED 367 million) over 2 years, to improve environmental efficiency across its global business, supporting its goal to reduce its carbon footprint by 50% by 2030.

During the year, the Group supported various community and humanitarian initiatives across its markets including relief efforts for the floods in Pakistan and the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. It also continued to participate in innovation incubators, and support programmes that build a pipeline of skilled aviation talent and develop future solutions for the industry.

Sheikh Ahmed said: “In 2022-23, we’ve not only brought back most of our operations but also grew our footprint and capabilities by investing in people, product, and new technologies – demonstrating our agility and ability. We continue to lay strong foundations for future success and join hands with partners to grow our business and to collaborate on innovative solutions for travel and aviation. As our business expands, so does our ability to make a positive impact on the communities we serve. We are steadfast in our commitment to deliver value to our customers and stakeholders while minimising our environmental impact.

“We go into 2023-24 with a strong positive outlook and expect the Group to remain profitable. We will work hard to hit our targets while keeping a close watch on inflation, high fuel prices, and political and economic uncertainty.”

dnata performance

Recovery from the pandemic was felt across almost all dnata businesses, and in 2022-23 dnata increased its profit by 201% to AED 331 million (US$ 90 million).

With growing flight and travel activity across the world, dnata's total revenue increased by 74% to AED 14.9 billion (US$ 4.1 billion). dnata’s international businesses account for 72% of its revenue, an increase of 10%pts from the previous year. Through the year, dnata worked closely with its customers through the challenges of labour shortages and rising inflation in its major markets such as UK, US, Europe and Australia.  

Laying the foundations for future growth, dnata’s investments in 2022-23 amounted to AED 467 million (US$ 127 million). Significant investments during the year included: a new cargo centre in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; new modern cargo and ground service equipment facilities in Erbil, Iraq; the global roll-out of its advanced “OneCargo” system to digitise and automate business functions; the expansion of marhaba operations in Dubai and Zanzibar; and the re-opening of renovated catering facilities in Sydney with energy efficient installations and equipment upgrades.

In 2022-23, dnata’s operating costs increased by 74% to AED 14.6 billion (US$ 4.0 billion), in line with expanded operations in its Airport Operations, Catering and Travel divisions and impacted by inflationary pressure across all markets mainly for labour and food supply.

dnata’s cash balance improved by more than AED 200 million to AED 5.1 billion (US$ 1.4 billion). Net cash used in financing activities, primarily payments for loans and leases, amounted to AED 906 million (US$ 247 million), while the business utilised net cash of AED 528 million (US$ 144 million) in essential investing activities. The business saw a positive operating cash flow of AED 1.4 billion (US$ 381 million) in 2022-23, a reflection of the substantial improvements in revenue.

Revenue from dnata’s Airport Operations, including ground and cargo handling increased to AED 7.2 billion (US$ 2.0 billion).

The number of aircraft turns handled by dnata globally grew by 35% to 712,383, cargo handled declined by 8% to 2.7 million tonnes, reflecting the increased flight activity across markets as the last pandemic restrictions lifted and dnata’s customers reinstated services.

During 2022-23, dnata launched its ground handling operations at the newly built terminal of Zanzibar Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, together with Emirates Leisure Retail (ELR) and MMI as master concessionaire for all food and beverage, duty free and commercial outlets at the terminal. It also expanded operations in Canada, partnering GTA Group to offer quality and safe cargo services in Calgary and Vancouver.

dnata’s Catering & Retail business accounted for AED 4.8 billion (US$ 1.3 billion) of dnata’s revenue, up by 187%. The inflight catering business uplifted 111.4 million meals to airline customers, almost three times the number of meals from last year, as its airline customers across the world restored their flight operations.

dnata’s Catering & Retail division substantially increased production to support airlines to restart their flight operations after the pandemic particularly in Australia, and its key markets of UK and the USA. It also worked extensively with its customers on flexing their menus to address supply chain issues and food inflation.

In the UAE, Alpha Flight Services (Alpha), dnata’s subsidiary, signed a concession agreement under which it will provide flight catering services to over 10 airlines at Ras Al Khaimah International airport, operate three F&B outlets, as well as the airport lounge.

Notable contract wins for the catering division in 2022-23 include: multi-year catering contracts with Australia’s newest airline, Bonza, and with Air India for its flights in London, Birmingham, and Milan; contracts with United Airlines and Edelweiss Air for their flights in Jordan; and with Lufthansa and Swiss International Air Lines in Singapore.

Revenue from dnata’s Travel Services division grew by 227% to AED 2.3 billion (US$ 618 million). The reported total transaction value (TTV) of travel services sold increased by 203% to AED 7.0 billion (US$ 1.9 billion), a substantial growth from last year. This reflects last year’s abnormal situation where the business was recovering from COVID-19-related booking cancellations.

In 2022-23, dnata Representation Services boosted its existing customer service support for Lufthansa in Europe and grew its relationship with American Airlines by providing a range of sales and marketing services to the carrier as its general sales agent in India. dnata became the preferred travel partner in the Middle East for American Express Global Business Travel, the world’s leading B2B travel platform; and enhanced its long-standing partnership with Club Med to bring tailor-made, all-inclusive holidays at exclusive rates closer to the GCC travellers.

In the UAE, dnata expanded its retail footprint with the opening of a new travel store in Dubai Hills. Reflecting the increased visitor numbers and demand for Dubai experiences, Arabian Adventures expanded and enhanced its popular ‘Overnight Safari’ experience in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve and re-launched an enhanced edition of its signature Jeep Adventure Safari.

dnata's leisure wholesale specialist, Yalago, expanded its global in-markets teams, and recorded a 92% year on year increase in hotel bookings in 2022.

Emirates performance

Emirates’ total passenger and cargo capacity increased by 32% to 48.2 billion ATKMs in 2022-23, as the airline continued to reinstate passenger services across its network in line with the lifting of pandemic-related flight and travel restrictions. 

In addition to launching services to Tel Aviv, Emirates relaunched flights to six destinations and increased operations to 62 cities across its network throughout the year to serve strong customer demand. By 31 March 2023, the Emirates network comprised 150 destinations across six continents, including 9 cities served by its freighter fleet only. 

Emirates also deployed its flagship A380 aircraft to even more cities during the year, bringing its A380 network to 43 destinations as of 31 March 2023.

Enabling its customers access even more destinations, Emirates signed agreements with new codeshare partners in 2022-23 most notably with United Airlines and Air Canada, expanding the airline’s connectivity in the Americas to over 200 new points, in addition to mutual frequent flyer programme benefits. Emirates also reinforced its strategic partnerships with Qantas and flydubai and added new interline and codeshare partners: Airlink, AEGEAN, ITA Airways, Air Tanzania, Bamboo Airways, Batik Air, Philippine Airlines, Royal Air Maroc and Sky Express.

Emirates received two new 777 freighter aircraft during the financial year. It also phased out 4 older aircraft comprising of 2 A380, 1 Boeing 777-300ERs and 1 Freighter. Its total fleet count at the end of March was 260 units, with a youthful average fleet age of 9.1 years. 

Emirates’ order book stands at 200 aircraft, including 5 additional Boeing 777-300ER freighter orders announced during 2022-23. The airline’s long-standing strategy of operating modern and efficient aircraft remains unchanged, a commitment which underpins its Fly Better brand promise as a young fleet is better for the environment, better for operations, and better for customers.

With significantly enhanced capacity deployment across most markets, Emirates’ total revenue for the financial year increased 81% to AED 107.4 billion (US$ 29.3 billion). Currency fluctuations in some of the airline’s major markets, notably the Euro, Pound Sterling, and devaluation of the Pakistani Rupee, significantly impacted the airline’s profitability negatively by AED 4.5 billion (US$ 1.2 billion).

Total operating costs increased by 57% from last financial year. Cost of ownership (depreciation and amortisation) and fuel cost were the two biggest cost components for the airline in 2022-23, followed by employee cost. Fuel accounted for 36% of operating costs compared to 23% in 2021-22. The airline’s fuel bill increased by 143% to AED 33.7 billion (US$ 9.2 billion) compared to the previous year, due to a higher uplift of 49% in line with capacity expansion and a higher average fuel price which was up by 48%.

With the removal of pandemic-related travel restrictions globally, the airline substantially improved its financial results and reported a record profit of AED 10.6 billion (US$ 2.9 billion) after last year’s AED 3.9 billion (US$ 1.1 billion) loss, and an exceptional profit margin of 9.9%, reflecting the best performance in the airline’s history.

Emirates carried 43.6 million passengers (up 123%) in 2022-23, with seat capacity up by 78%. The airline reports a Passenger Seat Factor of 79.5%, compared with last year’s passenger seat factor of 58.6%; and a 7% increase in passenger yield to 37.5 fils (10.2 US cents) per Revenue Passenger Kilometre (RPKM), due to a change in cabin and route mix, fares and currency.  

Emirates continued to invest in delivering ever better customer experiences. During the year, it launched its full Premium Economy experience to hugely positive customer feedback, brought into service the first 6 of its newly retrofitted A380s with completely refreshed cabin interiors, and opened ‘Emirates World’ - a modern concept retail store which will gradually be introduced to other key markets. It also announced a US$ 350 million investment in new generation inflight entertainment systems for its A350 fleet.

With a continued focus on digital initiatives to provide customers with speedy and secure journeys, Emirates also signed a landmark biometric data agreement with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai to fast-track travellers’ journey on arrival.

Emirates SkyCargo delivered a solid performance, contributing 16% of the airline’s revenue despite a reduction in available capacity as aircraft that were temporarily converted into “mini freighters” during the pandemic returned to full passenger service.

In 2022-23, Emirates’ cargo division reinforced its leadership in cool chain transport, building on the advanced expertise and infrastructure that made it the carrier of choice for the transport of temperature sensitive medicines during the pandemic, and other perishable items.

Emirates SkyCargo maintained its edge in the global airfreight industry by focusing its customers, bringing innovative solutions to the market, and leveraging its fleet and network capabilities. During the year, the cargo division signed commercial MoUs with United Airlines and Air Canada to expand its network reach and capacity for customers; introduced a new digital channel, WebCargo, for customers to directly access and book its flights for their cargo shipments; and launched Emirates Delivers UK, expanding its e-commerce shipping solution to UAE customers. 

Emirates SkyCargo also deployed its expertise and capacity to transport relief goods to Pakistan, Turkey and Syria in partnership with Dubai’s International Humanitarian City.

With steady air freight demand throughout the year, Emirates’ cargo division reported a solid revenue of AED 17.2 billion (US$ 4.7 billion). This was a 21% decline over last year’s exceptional performance caused by the pandemic.

Freight yield per Freight Tonne Kilometre (FTKM) increased by 3% despite more cargo capacity returned to the global market, but generally remained at high levels compared to the pandemic marketplace due to steady and strong demand.

Tonnage carried declined by 14% to reach 1.8 million tonnes, due to the reduction in available freighter capacity for the entire year with the reinstatement of more passenger services. At the end of 2022-23, Emirates’ SkyCargo’s total freighter fleet stood at 11 Boeing 777Fs.

Emirates’ hotels portfolio revenue over last year increased by 12% to AED 675 million (US$ 184 million) reflecting the uptick in tourism traffic, particularly to Dubai.   

Emirates has consistently demonstrated the ability and commitment to fulfil its contractual obligations. In addition to repaying aircraft related financing liabilities as they fall due, it successfully repaid AED 3.0 billion (US$ 817 million) more of the total AED 17.5 billion (US$ 4.8 billion) raised during the COVID-19 crisis. This assurance continues to strengthen the confidence of its financing partners in its business model and allowed Emirates to reprice AED 4.5 billion (US$ 1.2 billion) of debt during this financial year and further raise AED 1.2 billion to finance the acquisition of two new B777 freighter aircraft through an Islamic finance lease at highly effective margins.

In the face of rising interest rates, Emirates adeptly managed its net exposure and effectively mitigated the impact of rate fluctuations on the bottom line. Additionally, the proactive currency risk management programme ensured ongoing financial stability and resilience by employing a range of hedging strategies including forward contracts and natural hedges.

Emirates closed the financial year with an exceptional level of cash assets of AED 37.4 billion (US$ 10.2 billion), 79% higher compared to 31 March 2022.   

The full 2022-23 Annual Report of the Emirates Group – comprising Emirates, dnata and their subsidiaries – is available at: www.theemiratesgroup.com/annualreport

US$ figures are converted at 1US$ = 3.67AED and are based on the AED figures rounded off in millions.

dnata’s global experience and comprehensive, end-to-end solution will ensure a seamless implementation and delivery of the airline’s retail program across its operations. dnata’s retail experts have worked in partnership with Bonza to select and develop a broad range of Australian made products. These include quality meals, beverages, and snacking items, helping the airline provide a fresh approach to the onboard experience and maximise ancillary revenue.

dnata Catering will support Bonza’s operations from a new facility near the carrier’s base at Sunshine Coast Airport (MCY) – the first of its kind for the burgeoning airport.

Including its newest catering centre, dnata Catering now operates 15 facilities with a team of over 3,000 highly trained professionals, providing tailor-made inflight catering and retail services to over 40 airlines in Australia.

Having launched operations in January 2023, Bonza, Australia’s only independent low-cost carrier, currently offer 17 routes across 13 locations from its home base at MCY.

Hiranjan Aloysius, Chief Executive Officer of dnata Catering Australia, said: “We are immensely proud to have been selected as the inflight retail partner of Bonza. Our innovative solutions, combined with our deep understanding of passenger needs, will ensure a memorable and unique inflight experience, helping the airline deliver on its ambitious growth plans. We are extremely honoured to be part of this historical moment in Australian aviation history and look forward to contributing to Bonza’s success.”

Carly Povey, Chief Commercial Officer at Bonza said: “dnata has played a key role in delivering the world’s first onboard menu entirely sourced from its home country, served on demand via the Fly Bonza app and delivered directly to customer’s seats. The creation and delivery of our all-Aussie menu is no mean feat and has resulted in the first ever catering facility at Bonza’s backyard - Sunshine Coast Airport. We look forward to growing our onboard menu to take more great Aussie food and drink products to new heights.”

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. In the first six months of the financial year 2022-23, dnata’s customer-oriented teams produced over 50 million meals, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

In her role, Lynn will head dnata’s catering and retail operations at 18 airports across the UK. Under Lynn’s leadership, dnata will continue to deliver world-class culinary services and innovative products that enhance passenger experience and contribute to customers’ business objectives. dnata currently provides quality catering and retail services to 38 airlines with a team of over 3,000 dedicated professionals in the UK.

With significant experience in previous executive roles, including Head of British Airways Global Catering and Director of Worldwide Operations for IAG Cargo, Lynn has delivered large scale change in a wide range of positions within both the transport and food industries. Lynn will begin her role with immediate effect.

Robin Padgett, Chief Executive Officer of dnata Catering and Retail, said: “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Lynn with dnata Catering UK. Lynn brings a wealth of international experience and has a demonstrable track record in building high performing businesses and teams, driving operational excellence, understanding our customer’s needs, as well as financial and change management.

“With her broad expertise and passion for culinary excellence,  Lynn is well-positioned to lead our dedicated team and help dnata’s customers deliver on changing traveller expectations and needs.”

dnata’s flight catering operation uplifted 50.5 million meals in the period April to September 2022, a sharp increase of 204% compared to 16.6 million meals in the equivalent period in 2021.

As one of the world’s largest air and travel services providers dnata offers ground handling, cargo, travel and catering & retail services at over 130 airports in more than 30 countries across six continents.

From mid-December to Boxing Day, the most popular meal for dnata’s global airline partners of a traditional roast turkey dinner will be served. Included will be the important ingredients of such a culturally important meal: turkey, sage and onion stuffing, roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts, finished with Christmas cake and mince pies. The most popular customer additions will be cranberry sauce and bread sauce.

Robin Padgett, Divisional Senior Vice President for Catering and Retail, dnata, explains the process of creating a festive menu: “An airline’s menus are planned out once per year, and many airlines have four annual menus to reflect the seasonal changes.

“Festive menus are signed off in November, after they have been developed by our award-winning chefs. Recipes are then created for all our global stations along with loading and plating guides with photographs of each stage, so that the process is fool proof.

“We also take the special requirements of our airline partners into consideration, with Halal-prepared meat as well as tasty vegetarian alternatives. Special meals account for 45 per cent of total meals provided for our big airline carriers.”

dnata also provides catering services to airline partners via tailor-made on-board retail offerings. “We’ll ensure that passengers of our retail customers also receive the festive experience with turkey, cranberry and stuffing sandwiches and a mince pie to purchase as they make their special journey,” Robin says.

While producing such vast quantities of festive meals, dnata’s catering teams work closely with airline customers to analyse consumption trends and use predictive data to optimise the loading of F&B for in-flight catering. Analysis of on-board data not only reduces food waste but also fuel burn associated with carrying excess weight. In addition, where possible dnata Catering sources and supplies local produce to reduce the food miles associated with menus.

“We are proud that our global customers trust us to provide them and their passengers with the highest quality meals and locally sourced ingredients,” Robin concludes.

Global standards, local menus

In the UK, dnata Catering’s traditional roast turkey dinner will be served approximately 8,000 times per day. In addition, 10,000 tray set items including mince pies and festive-themed chocolates and beverages will be distributed.

In the USA, a similar main turkey meal is served. But rather than a mince pie, a popular dessert amongst American airline partners is Pumpkin pie with spiced mascarpone or cream, or Pumpkin cheesecake and stewed apples. This year, airlines have requested additional sweet treats. They include a Yule log and stuffed profiteroles, a gingerbread cookie and a salted chocolate truffle.

While 75,000 traditional roast turkey meals will be served in Australia for international customers, consuming 1.9 tonnes of meat, some airlines will begin with either a local starter of prawn cocktail or mixed grain and cranberry salad. Dessert will be a choice between warm fruit pudding, Christmas pudding cheesecake, or gingerbread-spiced crumble topped mousse.

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. In the first six months of the financial year 2022-23, dnata’s customer-oriented teams produced over 50 million meals, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

The partnership will see Alpha Flight Services invest in infrastructure and provide inflight catering services to more than 10 airlines at the airport. In addition, it will operate three F&B outlets, the airport lounge and a number of vending machines at RKT.

Mark Whelan, General Manager of Alpha, said: “We are proud to have earned the trust of Ras Al Khaimah airport and look forward to contributing to its success and growth over the next decade. Our significant investment, broad experience, and passion for excellence will ensure world-class culinary and airport hospitality experiences for passengers flying to and from RAK. We will constantly enhance our offering to deliver innovative products and services that travellers value both on board and on the ground.”

His Excellency Engr. Sheikh Salem Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of The Department of Civil Aviation, Ras Al Khaimah & Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, said: “With our partnership with the Alpha group, Ras Al Khaimah International Airport looks forward to strengthening our catering services, elevating the passenger experience at the airport, and exploring together the ample number of opportunities available to enhance the business.”

Atanasios Titonis, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, said: “We are excited to start this new long-term partnership with Alpha Flight Services at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport as we build our profile in refining the customer experience in the food and beverage field as well as lounge and flight catering. This is an important step for us as we embark on our journey towards transitioning into a tourism centred destination airport.”

Alpha Flight Services has been operated by global air and travel services provider dnata since 2010. In recent years, the company has significantly expanded its operations and currently provides high-quality catering services to customers, including over 30 airlines, from its kitchen near Sharjah International Airport (SHJ).

Furthermore, Alpha operates a total of 11 outlets, including seven café restaurants and four kiosks, an airport lounge as well as a newly upgraded and renovated hotel at SHJ. ‘The Hotel’ features modern design and can comfortably accommodate 200 guests.  Alpha also supports local tourism by providing authentic local meals to the UAE’s leading desert safari provider. Alpha’s team consists of 480 highly trained professionals who prepare seven million meals annually. 

Steve Allen, CEO of dnata Group, said: “We’ve been making great progress on reducing our carbon footprint, minimising waste and reducing energy and water consumption across our operations. We will further increase our investments and efforts in strong cooperation with our partners to achieve our targets and preserve the environment for current and future generations.”

Investing in infrastructure and equipment with carbon reduction initiatives at the fore

In recent years dnata has significantly invested in advanced technologies to optimise resources and improve operational efficiency across its facilities. It installed renewable energy features, such as solar panels, heat recovery units and electric vehicle charging, at its existing facilities in the UK, Singapore and Ireland.  The company will also incorporate carbon reduction initiatives in the construction and operation of its recently announced new cargo centres in The Netherlands and Iraq.

Choosing green options is a prime consideration in dnata’s fleet planning, too. It has increased investments in electric and hybrid ramp, ground support (GSE) and forklift equipment, and refurbished existing GSE with new technologies to further decrease emissions and update them to the latest safety and quality standards. As a result, dnata became the first ground handler to successfully complete green aircraft turnarounds using only zero-emission GSE in the USA and UAE.

Reducing food waste through consumption trend analysis 

dnata’s catering team has invested in process improvement to minimise its environmental footprint. It has been working closely with many of its airline customers to analyse consumption trends and use predictive data to optimise the loading of F&B for in-flight catering. Analysis of on-board data not only reduces food waste but also fuel burn associated with carrying excess weight. In addition, where possible dnata catering sources and supplies local produce to reduce the food miles associated with menus.

dnata has also taken initiatives across its business units to conserve water consumption and recycle materials, such as paper, plastic, cardboard, wood, glass, metal, used cooking and mineral oils. Earlier this year, the company committed to reducing its waste to landfill by 20% by 2024. 

Promoting sustainable travel

dnata has embedded its environmental framework across its broad-spanning Travel businesses, aiming to empower customers to make better travel choices. Its corporate services include hybrid event solutions, sustainable travel policy guidance as well as carbon emission monitoring and reporting, aligned to global standards.

dnata Travel Group in the UK has invested in green technologies and introduced new business practices to improve environmental efficiency. It switched to renewable energy to take all electricity from green sources at all of its offices, cut out single-use plastic (SUP) from its operations, reduced paper consumption by 4 million pages annually through its ‘paperless office’ initiative, and implemented a zero to landfill policy to ensure that all non-recyclable waste is sent to energy recovery facilities for processing. Furthermore, it replaced 80% of its fleet with electric or hybrid cars with a target to operate a fully green fleet by 2024.

Mobilising global teams to make a difference

dnata engages and mobilises its employees through its corporate social responsibility programme, dnata4good, to make a positive difference. This May, hundreds of dnata employees around the world teamed up and took part in the company initiative ‘dnata cleans the world’. dnata’s volunteers cleaned beaches, rivers, canals and parks in dozens of countries across the globe.

dnata offers ground handling, cargo, travel, catering and retail services in 36 countries across six continents. In the financial year 2021-22, dnata’s customer-oriented teams handled over 527,000 aircraft turns, moved 3 million tonnes of cargo, uplifted 39.9 million meals, and recorded a total transaction value (TTV) of travel services of US$ 632 million.

David Barker, dnata’s Divisional Senior Vice President for Airport Operations, said: “We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint to ensure the highest possible level of environmental efficiency across our operations. The inauguration of the solar power system in Singapore marks a significant milestone in our efforts to make dnata’s operations even more sustainable and reduce our carbon footprint by 20% in the next two years globally.”

Jen Tan, Head of Integrated Solutions (Singapore & Southeast Asia) and Renewables (Indonesia), Sembcorp Industries, said: “We have a proven track record in rooftop photovoltaic solutions for the aerospace and aviation industry and the completion of this project solidifies our position. We are pleased to help dnata take their first step towards reducing their carbon footprint, and we look forward to exploring more innovative green solutions with them in the future.” 

In recent years dnata has significantly invested in infrastructure, equipment and process improvement to further improve operational efficiency with a strategic objective of reducing its carbon footprint globally by 20% by 2024. dnata replaced and refurbished ground support equipment at airports to decrease engine emissions, invested in facilities that incorporate the latest carbon reduction initiatives in design and operation, and embedded its environmental framework across its broad-spanning Travel businesses, aiming to empower customers to make better travel choices.

In Singapore, dnata took initiatives to reduce food waste across its catering operations and replaced a number of its ground support equipment (GSE) and forklifts with hybrid or electric alternatives, while refurbishing selected GSE where appropriate to extend life cycles, reduce waste and update them to the latest safety and quality standards. Most recently, dnata has added 44 electric baggage tractors to its GSE fleet at Changi Airport.

Globally, dnata offers quality and reliable ground handling, cargo, catering and retail services at over 120 airports in 19 countries.  In Singapore, the company serves more than 50 airline customers with a team of 1,100 highly-trained employees.

The partnership will see dnata deliver a tailor-made on-board retail programme and innovative solutions for the airline, supporting it to further enhance its retail range onboard and customer satisfaction. 

The agreement will see dnata provide easyJet with a comprehensive suite of services covering retail strategy; product development and selection across food, beverage and duty-free; procurement; marketing; cabin crew engagement and financial management. dnata will work closely with easyJet and leading technology providers to deliver a modern, technology-led programme, with the airline’s customers front and centre.

dnata has also been appointed to provide end-to-end logistics and last-mile services to easyJet across the UK and Italy, covering 11 stations.

Robin Padgett, Divisional Senior Vice President for Catering and Retail, dnata, said: “We’re immensely proud to become the inflight retail partner of choice for easyJet across its European network. We will work closely with the airline’s teams to bring a modern, digital-led retail experience to easyJet’s customers, putting products people love on-board and delivering value for passengers and the company.

“We know easyJet is a leader in its segment and we’re excited to lift the success of their retail programme even further, leveraging our experience and insights across inflight and on-ground retailing, gathered across our global markets.”

Simon Cox, Director of In Flight Retail for easyJet commented: “We are delighted to be working with dnata on an opportunity to transform our inflight retail service and we are confident they are the right partners to support us in realising our ambitions to deliver an industry-leading, innovative onboard retail experience for our customers across Europe.”

dnata launched its dedicated inflight retail hub in 2020. Headquartered in the UK, the specialist retail unit provides airline customers with a comprehensive suite of ‘off-the-shelf’ services from product development, digitalised sales channels and technological solutions through to cabin crew engagement, product design and accounting. dnata’s existing inflight retail customer-base spans leading airlines from all over the world. 

dnata also has En Route International in its stable of brands. En Route International is an award-winning product development, creative design and supply-chain operation, providing bespoke and high-street retail food product solutions to airlines across the globe.

dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. Before the pandemic, the company’s 12,000 dedicated employees produced some 90 million meals annually, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.

About dnata

dnata is one of the world’s largest air and travel services providers. Established in 1959, the company ensures the aviation industry operates smoothly and efficiently at over 120  airports. Offering ground handling, cargo, travel, flight catering and retail services in 36 countries across six continents, dnata is a trusted partner for over 300 airline customers around the world. In the financial year 2020-21, dnata’s customer-oriented teams handled 280,000 aircraft turns, moved 2.6 million tonnes of cargo, uplifted 16 million meals, and recorded a total transaction value (TTV) of travel services of US$ 62 million.

About easyJet

easyJet is Europe’s leading airline offering a unique and winning combination of the best route network connecting Europe's primary airports, with great value fares and friendly service.

easyJet flies on more of Europe’s most popular routes than any other airline and carried more than 96 million passengers in 2019 – more than 16 million travelling for business. The airline has over 300 aircraft on nearly 1000 routes to more than 150 airports across 35 countries. Over 300 million Europeans live within one hour's drive of an easyJet airport.

easyJet aims to be a good corporate citizen, employing people on local contracts in eight countries across Europe in full compliance with national laws and recognising their trade unions. The airline supports several local charities and has a corporate partnership with UNICEF which has raised over £14m for the most vulnerable children since it was established in 2012.

The airline takes sustainability seriously and is committed to reaching net-zero emissions flying by 2050. Together with its partners Airbus and Wright Electric, easyJet is working to accelerate the development of zero-emission aircraft technology. In the meantime, the airline is offsetting the carbon emissions from the fuel used for all its flights, at no additional cost to its customers, and only supports projects that are certified by Gold Standard or the Verified Carbon Standard, internationally recognised certification schemes. In addition, easyJet continues to renew its fleet, operate efficiently, and aims to fill most of its seats. Through these activities, the airline has cut its carbon emissions per passenger kilometre efficiency by a third since 2000 and is committed to reducing this further.

Innovation is in easyJet’s DNA – since launching over 25 years ago, easyJet changed the way people fly to the present day where the airline leads the industry in digital, web, engineering and operational innovations to make travel more easy and affordable for its passengers.

The airline was named as Britain’s Most Admired Company of 2020 in the transport sector, retaining the leading position for a second year running. Britain's Most Admired Companies study is the longest-running annual survey of corporate reputation in the UK.