dnata handled 56,000 tonnes of cargo in 2025, up nearly 4% year on year, reflecting sustained demand for quality cargo services and the need for expanded infrastructure at Zurich Airport.

A long-term investment in Zurich

Construction of the new dnata Cargo Centre is well advanced and forms part of dnata’s long-term investment in its Zurich operations. The facility is scheduled to open in early 2027.

Once operational, dnata’s annual cargo handling capacity in Zurich will increase by 50%, from 60,000 to 90,000 tonnes, marking a significant expansion of its operational capabilities at the airport.

The facility will include 8,330 square metres of warehouse space, of which 7,580 square metres will be dedicated to indoor cargo handling, complemented by 4,600 metres of covered outdoor handling areas. It will replace the existing Fracht West warehouse, originally built in the 1960s, which has reached the limits of its operational and expansion potential.

The new facility is being developed by Zurich Airport. Alongside the airport’s investment of more than CHF 40 million in the building infrastructure, dnata is committing approximately CHF 6 million to equip the site, including the installation of its modern ULD material handling system. The development supports rising demand across both general cargo and specialised products, including pharmaceuticals.

“The new dnata Cargo Centre represents a significant long-term investment in our operations at Zurich Airport,” said Willy Ruf, Managing Director, dnata Switzerland.

“Cargo operations at Zurich have evolved significantly over the past decade, with higher volumes, tighter turnaround expectations and a growing share of specialised shipments. This new facility allows us to rethink how cargo flows through the airport, from landside access to warehouse handling, in a way that better reflects how the market actually operates today.”

Designed for efficiency, safety and specialised cargo

The new facility has been developed with efficiency, safety and scalability at its core. Its layout will support streamlined cargo flows through two truck docks for ULD handling and 18 dock levellers, improving landside access and turnaround times, while increased storage capacity will allow dnata to manage higher volumes more effectively.

A dedicated 1,000-square-metre pharmaceutical handling area will support GDP-compliant operations, including temperature-controlled zones for both 2–8°C and 15–25°C cargo. An advanced ULD material handling system will streamline cargo flows, improve throughput and enhance operational control, while modern office spaces will enable closer collaboration between operational and administrative teams.

A phased transition with service continuity at the core

The move to the new cargo centre is being carefully managed through a phased approach to ensure continuity of service throughout the relocation period. Early access to the site will enable the development installation of specialised infrastructure in all handling areas, followed by the progressive handover of the warehouse and office spaces and the staged relocation of teams, ahead of the full transfer of cargo-handling activities from the existing Fracht West facility.

Strengthening dnata’s global cargo infrastructure

The Zurich expansion is part of dnata’s broader investment in cargo infrastructure across its global network. Recent milestones include the opening of its new cargo centre in Amsterdam, with further facility developments underway in Milan, Dubai and Erbil. These projects reflect dnata’s continued focus on building scalable, future-ready cargo operations in key logistics markets worldwide.

dnata in Switzerland

dnata maintains a strong operational presence in Switzerland, with ground handling and cargo activities at Zurich Airport (ZRH) and Geneva Airport (GVA). Across these locations, the company supports more than 40 airline customers and employs approximately 1300 people.

Globally, dnata delivers reliable and safe ground handling and cargo services at more than 90 airports across 16 countries. In the financial year 2024-25, dnata’s customer-oriented teams handled over 794,000 aircraft turns and moved 3.1 million tonnes of cargo.

dnata currently serves 40 passenger and cargo airlines in Zürich with a team of over 500 employees, safely handling over 35 aircraft turnarounds and 150 tonnes of cargo every day.

The company’s recent investments at the airport include the rollout of its digital cargo management system, One Cargo, which automates key business and operational functions, including safety and quality monitoring, reporting and ULD management, with an integrated, cloud-based platform. It also invested in advanced ground support equipment (GSE), increasing the share of electric vehicles in its fleet to 42%.

In addition, dnata recently announced that it would boost its cargo handling capacity by over 50% at ZRH. Having signed a lease agreement with the airport authority, the company is planning to operate its new 9,500m² advanced warehouse facility as the sole occupant. The facility is already under construction and expected to open in early 2027.

Willy Ruf, dnata Switzerland’s Managing Director, said: “We are proud to have earned the trust of Zürich Airport once again. The renewal of our license is a clear vote of confidence in our team, highlighting our reliability and commitment to service excellence.  We will continue to invest in our people, infrastructure and equipment to deliver best-in-class services to our customers.”

Besides Zürich, dnata operates at Geneva Airport (GVA) in Switzerland. In 2024, dnata’s team assisted over four million departing passengers and moved over 103,000 tonnes of cargo in the country.

The partnership will see dnata provide its full range of safe and reliable passenger, ramp and baggage services to the low-cost carrier. dnata’s dedicated team will contribute to an excellent travel experience for an estimated 640,000 passengers on easyJet’s 3,800 annual flights. 

The new contract expands the collaboration between the two parties in Switzerland, with dnata providing all de-icing services for the airline in Geneva since 2022.

Willy Ruf, Managing Director, dnata Switzerland, said: “We are delighted to have furthered our partnership with easyJet. We thank the airline’s team for their continued trust in our best-in-class ground handling services and look forward to extending our successful collaboration. We will continue to invest in our team, infrastructure and equipment to deliver the highest value for our customers.”

dnata currently operates at two Swiss airports, ZRH and Geneva Airport (GVA), providing a range of ground handling and cargo services to more than 30 airlines with 1,100 customer-oriented employees. In the financial year 2023-24, dnata’s team assisted a total of eight million passengers and moved over 90,000 tonnes of cargo in Geneva and Zurich.

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 2023-24, dnata’s customer-oriented teams handled over 778,000 aircraft turns, moved over 2.9 million tonnes of cargo, uplifted 123 million meals, and recorded a total transaction value (TTV) of travel services of US$ 2.4 billion.

The partnership will see dnata provide its range of passenger, ramp, and baggage services to the airline which will operate a four-weekly service between Zurich and Delhi on a Boeing 787-8 aircraft. dnata’s dedicated team will contribute to an excellent travel experience for over 50,000 passengers on Air India’s over 200 annual flights. 

Willy Ruf, Managing Director of dnata Switzerland, said: “We are delighted to welcome Air India back to Zurich and thank them for putting their trust in dnata’s services. We look forward to working with the airline’s local team to ensure smooth and timely operations of flights, and provide customers with a best-in-class airport experience.”

dnata currently operates at two Swiss airports, ZRH and Geneva Airport (GVA), providing a range of ground handling and cargo services to more than 30 airlines with 1,100 customer-oriented employees. In the financial year 2023-24, dnata turned around over 12,000 flights at ZRH, handling over two million passengers and 46,000 tonnes of cargo.

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 2023-24, dnata’s customer-oriented teams handled over 778,000 aircraft turns, moved 2.9 million tonnes of cargo, uplifted 123 million meals, and recorded a total transaction value (TTV) of travel services of US$ 2.4 billion.

Having signed a lease agreement with the airport authority, the company is planning to operate its new 9,500m² advanced warehouse facility as the sole occupant. Construction of the facility has already begun and is scheduled to be completed by 2027.

The new ‘Rächtenwisen’ warehouse will provide 20 docking ramps for trucks, and separate areas for the handling of import and export processes, as well as hazardous goods. It will also include temperature-controlled areas for sensitive products such as pharmaceuticals and other perishable items.

In line with dnata’s group target of reducing its global carbon emissions by 50% by 2030, the airport also plans to install solar PV panels to the roof of the landside building.

Wily Ruf, Managing Director, dnata Switzerland, said: “We are delighted to have secured this new facility in partnership with Zürich Airport. Our cargo business continues to grow, and this warehouse will ensure that we go beyond the demands of our customers, providing them with our best-in-class ground and cargo handling services. We will continue to invest in people, infrastructure and equipment to take our business to the next level in Switzerland.”

dnata currently operates at two Swiss airports, ZRH and Geneva Airport (GVA), providing a range of ground handling and cargo services to more than 30 airlines with 1,100 customer-oriented employees. 

The company has recently rolled out its advanced ‘OneCargo’ across system its cargo operations in Switzerland. OneCargo automates key business and operational functions, including safety and quality monitoring, reporting and ULD management, with an integrated, cloud-based platform. AI-driven tools and analytics provide enhanced visibility on sales and business performance, allowing customers to match real-time demand with available capacity for maximum profitability. In addition, OneCargo eliminates all redundancies and manual check sheets, substantially improving operational efficiency.

In recent years, dnata has also significantly invested in advanced equipment, including “green” ground support equipment (GSE) in Switzerland. Its recent investments include five new hybrid de-icing trucks, which increased the number of electric GSE in its Swiss fleet to 35%. The company has further plans to significantly invest in electric equipment, with a target of operating an 80% “green” fleet by 2030. In the financial year 2022-23, dnata’s team assisted a total of seven million passengers and moved over 60,000 tonnes of cargo in Geneva and Zürich.

dnata is a leading global air and travel services provider. It offers quality and safe ground handling, cargo, travel, catering and retail services in over 30 countries across six continents.

In his new role, Gilles will oversee dnata’s operations, including ramp, cargo and passenger services, at Geneva Airport (GVA). He will manage a team of 600 customer-oriented employees, ensuring consistent high quality and safe services for more than 30 airline customers and their passengers. Gilles’s appointment is effective immediately.

A seasoned professional, Gilles has decades of experience in various senior roles across the transport, security, F&B, hospitality and technology sectors. Most recently he was Managing Director for Switzerland at RATP Dev, a leading public transport company. His previous positions included Operations Director at SV Group, the leading hospitality and catering group in the DACH region, and Regional Operations Manager -based at Geneva Airport- at SSP Group, a global operator of food and beverage outlets.

Willy Ruf, Managing Director of dnata Switzerland, said: “I’m very happy that we could engage a seasoned manager with a vast experience in various fields of the dynamic service industry. Gilles’ appointment is part of our broader plan to enhance our operations, including continued investment in leadership, training, infrastructure and equipment, across our Swiss operations. We look forward to working with Gilles to further improve our efficiency and service quality in Geneva.”

Besides Geneva, dnata also provides a range of ground handling and cargo services in Zurich in Switzerland. In the financial year 2022-23, dnata’s team assisted a total of seven million passengers and moved over 60,000 tonnes of cargo with a team of 1,100 employees in the country.

dnata is a leading global air and travel services provider. It offers quality and safe ground handling, cargo, travel, catering and retail services in over 30 countries across six continents.

Upon implementation, EASA’s Regulation will establish a more standardised environment, which will help enhance safety, operational delivery, cybersecurity, and consistency within the region.

Until now, the ground handling industry has largely operated under self-regulation, with operational arrangements, including safety considerations, primarily addressed in bilateral service agreements between ground handling service providers and the respective aircraft operators.

EASA’s Regulation is scheduled for publication in late 2024 or early 2025. The proposal includes a suggested three-year transition period for implementation post-publication. dnata anticipates a smooth transition, proactively aligning its practices with the forthcoming regulatory framework.

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, company’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.

In his role, Willy will oversee dnata’s ground handling and cargo business and operations at Geneva Airport (GVA) and Zürich Airport (ZRH) in Switzerland. He will manage a team of 1,100 employees, ensuring world-class services and safety for over 30 airline customers. 

A Swiss national, Willy has over 30 years of international experience in the ground handling, cargo and travel industries. Most recently, he has been dnata’s Head of Operations in Geneva. Prior to joining dnata, he held various senior leadership roles at Wisag and Swissport across Europe.

Willy will report to Stewart Angus, dnata’s Regional CEO for Europe. His appointment is effective 1 January 2024. In his new role Willy will replace Roberto Feijoo Lopez, who decided to leave dnata to pursue another opportunity. 

Stewart Angus said: “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Willy, who has demonstrated exceptional management skills and steadfast commitment to excellence as our operations leader in Geneva. As a respected and experienced leader in our industry, he is well-equipped to contribute significantly to our strategic objectives and strengthen dnata’s market presence in Switzerland.

He added: “I would genuinely like to thank Roberto for his important contribution to the success and development of dnata Switzerland over the past 16 years. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours”.  

In recent years, dnata has significantly invested in infrastructure and equipment, including “green” ground support equipment (GSE), to deliver the highest level of quality and safety for its customers in Switzerland. dnata’s recent investments include five new hybrid de-icing trucks, which increased the number of electric GSE in its Swiss fleet to 35%.

dnata has also recently rolled out its advanced ‘OneCargo’ system across its cargo operations in Switzerland. OneCargo automates key business and operational functions, including safety and quality monitoring, reporting and ULD management, with an integrated, cloud-based platform. AI-driven tools and analytics provide enhanced visibility on sales and business performance, allowing customers to match real-time demand with available capacity for maximum profitability. In addition, OneCargo eliminates all redundancies and manual check sheets, substantially improving operational efficiency.

In the financial year 2022-23, dnata’s team assisted a total of seven million passengers and moved over 60,000 tonnes of cargo in Geneva and Zürich.

dnata is a leading global air and travel services provider. It offers quality and safe ground handling, cargo, travel, catering and retail services in over 30 countries across six continents.

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.

dnata’s enhanced cabin cleaning service was trialled on board the aircraft of Swiss regional carrier Helvetic Airways. Uveya’s cutting-edge solution uses UV-C rays to disinfect the interior of the aircraft, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew. During the cleaning process, an autonomous sterilization robot emits concentrated UV-C light across the cabin. The device can effectively kill over 99% of bacteria and pathogens, such as coronavirus, in the air and on all surfaces in a few minutes, without using any chemicals.

Lukas Gyger, Chief Operating Officer of dnata Switzerland, said: “We are delighted to join forces with Uveya to offer airline partners another innovative, safe and reliable solution. Our enhanced cabin cleaning services will deliver enhanced safety and efficiency, helping our customers restore confidence in air travel. We continue to invest in the latest technologies to provide service excellence to our customers and their passengers across our global operations.”

Tristan Chevignard, Business Development Manager of Uveya, said: “We are thrilled to explore the aviation market for our UVC disinfection solution with such renowned partners. We believe this collaboration will help assure aircraft are clean, safe and up to the high-level standards of this industry.”

René Marmet, Chief Operating Officer of Helvetic Airways, said: “By making available our infrastructure and fleet for testing, Helvetic Airways is significantly contributing to the development of a promising and innovative aircraft disinfection solution which aims to make air travel safer going forward.”

dnata’s UV-C solution complements its existing aircraft cabin cleaning services which the company delivers for over 250 airline customers globally. dnata’s enhanced cleaning process involves extensive cleaning with a stronger disinfectant and includes a comprehensive wipedown of all surfaces – from windows, tray tables, seatback screens, armrests, seats, in-seat controls, panels, air vents and overhead lockers in the cabin to lavatories, galleys and crew rest areas. The on-board cleaning chemicals are approved by the relevant authorities and proven to kill viruses and germs. They leave a long-lasting protective coating against new contamination of viruses, bacteria and fungi on surfaces, and are eco-friendly. A dedicated quality team and shift managers oversee the cleaning on the majority of flights.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, dnata’s expert teams have worked around the clock to develop and implement a comprehensive health & safety programme, enhancing services, processes and training across the company’s operations. dnata has run disinfection programmes and introduced new personal protective measures to safeguard its skilled staff and deliver world-class safety for its airline partners and their passengers.

dnata offers reliable and safe ground handling, cargo and catering services at more than 120 airports globally. At each location, dnata works closely with its partners and authorities to ensure the highest safety standards for customers and employees across its operations.

Zürich, 9 October, 2018 – dnata, one of the world’s largest air services providers, has been awarded the Good Distribution Practice (GDP) certification for the pharmaceutical handling services at the company’s state-of-the-art facility in Zürich.

GDP is a program focused on systems for warehouses and distribution centers that store and distribute products that are medicinal or carry active pharmaceutical ingredients. Setting stringent standards, the scheme ensures that consistent quality management systems are in place throughout the entire supply chain.

In achieving the certification, dnata has proven its capability of handling pharmaceutical products safely and reliably. In order to meet the requirements, dnata has completely refurbished one of its warehouses at Zürich Airport and made significant enhancements to its quality systems, operations documentation and facilities management practices. dnata’s customer-oriented staff have been also thoroughly trained on all processes and requirements at each level of the organization.  

A global cargo services provider, dnata constantly invests into cutting-edge pharma handling technologies, which is underlined by the GDP certification of its Amsterdam, London, Manchester and Singapore, as well as the CEIV certification of its Amsterdam, Dubai and Singapore facilities.

Including two Swiss airports, Zürich and Geneva, dnata provides reliable and quality cargo handling services at 44 airports in 11 countries moving over 3 million tons of cargo a year.
 

Roger Gutzwiller, GDP/Pharma Manager Cargo, dnata Switzerland, said: “We are delighted to achieve GDP certification of our freshly refurbished facility in Zürich. Over the past years we’ve significantly invested in our operations to meet the highest standards in quality and safety and with today’s announcement and the constant growth of our customer base our efforts are clearly paying off.  We stay committed to providing service excellence to all of our more than 30 air cargo customers every day.”  

--ENDS
 

“We are very pleased that Zurich Airport has found in us a reliable partner and has entrusted us to provide ground handling and cargo needs to our airline customers at the airport for another seven years.” said Mark Bradley, CEO - Europe, dnata.

“Zurich Airport represents the best of Switzerland – precision, efficiency and uncompromising quality.  We are committed to work hand in hand with all our airport partners to continue making Zurich Airport one of the best airports in the world.”

In Switzerland, dnata operates ground handling and cargo services in Zurich and Geneva airports. The company entered the Swiss ground handling market in 2007 when it acquired Jet Aviation Handling, whose roots in providing aviation services in Switzerland date back 50 years. Today, dnata employs over 1,300 people in Switzerland, handling more than 33,000 aircraft and over 95,000 tonnes of cargo at both airports annually.

About dnata:
dnata is one of the world’s largest air services providers. Established in 1959, the company ensures the aviation industry operates smoothly and efficiently in 129 airports. Offering ground handling, cargo, travel, and flight catering services in 84 countries across six continents, dnata is a trusted partner for over 400 airline customers around the world. Each day, the company handles over 1,700 flights, carries over 7,700 tonnes of cargo, assists over 235,000 passengers, books over 19,000 hotel stays, and uplifts over 320,000 meals.

SAS operates  42 weekly flights from Oslo, Stockholm, and Copenhagen to Geneva and Zurich, using a mix of aircraft types including the Canadair 900, Airbus A320 and Boeing 737. dnata has been selected to provide passenger, baggage and ramp and cargo handling services for these operations.    

dnata’s business in Switzerland provides passenger, baggage, ramp, business lounge, de-icing and cargo handling services at both Zurich and Geneva to many major airlines from around the world. The contract with SAS in both Zurich and Geneva, is a vote of confidence in dnata’s consistent and quality service, and dedicated team. The dnata team continues to win over new business with its attention to meeting the customer’s requirements, and its commitment to maintaining the integrity of airline schedules, with over 35 thousand aircraft turnarounds handled in Switzerland last year. 

SAS is Scandinavia’s leading airline and a member of Star Alliance. In 2014/2015, the airline carried a total of 28.1 million passengers to119 destinations in Europe, the US and Asia. 

In addition to holding ISO 9001:2008, dnata became the first ground handling operation in Switzerland to achieve IATA’s ISAGO accreditation for its entire operation, setting a national industry benchmark.       

In the long-term contract, dnata will begin ground-handling operations for American Airlines starting 17th February 2015. The contract comes after the merger between American Airlines and US Airways. With the new agreement, dnata will handle more than 500 flights a year for the two airlines. The air services provider will support the airlines with ramp operations, de-icing, arrival services, and its newly launched integrated clean and search service.

“We have worked with US Airways in Zurich since 2007, and winning the American Airlines contract is a strong vote of confidence in our services and safety record,” said Mark Bradley, CEO of dnata’s Switzerland operations. “I’m confident our team in Zurich will continue to provide American Airlines and US Airways the high level of service and quality we are known for.”

“We look forward to welcoming and working closely with dnata as we continue to build on the success of the new American Airlines,” said Andy Kynoch, American Airlines’ Director, Airport Customer Service, Europe / Middle East.

dnata's new clean and search service will make the departure process more efficient for carriers. With it, dnata will undertake a mandatory search as it cleans the aircraft, eliminating the need for separate search prior to departure.

“The dnata team in Zurich have been specially trained to deliver our new clean and search service, ensuring they are delivering the security levels required by international regulations,” added Bradley. “We regularly review the products we offer our airline customers to better service their requirements. We expect clean and search to help make ramp operations easier for customers in Zurich.”

dnata will be responsible for the American Airlines’ year-round, daily flights from New York (JFK) and US Airways seasonal daily flights from Philadelphia. Each year in Zurich, dnata handles 17,500 flights and more than 1,600,000 passengers for customer airlines from around the world.

dnata Switzerland Website

dnata Corporate Website

“We have worked with US Airways in Zurich since 2007, and winning the American Airlines contract is a strong vote of confidence in our services and safety record,” said Mark Bradley, CEO of dnata’s Switzerland operations. “I’m confident our team in Zurich will continue to provide American Airlines and US Airways the high level of service and quality we are known for.”

“We look forward to welcoming and working closely with dnata as we continue to build on the success of the new American Airlines,” said Andy Kynoch, American Airlines’ Director, Airport Customer Service, Europe/Middle East.

dnata will support the airlines with ramp operations, de-icing and arrival services. dnata will also offer its newly launched integrated clean and search service. This service complies with international and US regulations and enables us to clean and perform mandatory security searches of the aircraft at the same time.

“The dnata team in Zurich have been specially trained to deliver our new clean and search service, ensuring they are delivering the security levels required by international regulations,” added Bradley. “We regularly review the products we offer our airline customers to better service their requirements. We expect clean and search service to help make ramp operations easier for customers in Zurich.”

dnata will be responsible for the American Airlines’ year-round, daily flights from New York (JFK) and US Airways seasonal daily flights from Philadelphia. Each year in Zurich, dnata handles 17,500 flights and more than 1,600,000 passengers for customer airlines from around the world.

But unlike a dinner party for friends – where you can whip things together at the last minute – the operation required several months of planning to get the food just right.

SWISS Catering Operations (KPO) defined the menus for all three classes, selecting truly authentic Asian and Swiss dishes.

To say the team went the extra mile is an understatement. For example, bramata – traditional Swiss polenta – was flown in especially from Zurich for use in a dish served to Business Class passengers.

Before the first flight, on May 13, dnata was tasked with loading all meals, beverages, dishes and tableware for the 219 passengers.

Approximately 4,000kg of catering material was delivered via cargo from Bangkok, arriving at the catering station after passing through customs.

The day before the flight, the entire loading process – aside from the meals – underwent a thorough check on location. Meanwhile, dnata received the training for SWISS specifications.

All meals were pre-cooked and the famous Singapore Sling – a cocktail created in the luxurious Raffles hotel – was mixed for Business Class passengers.

On the day of the flight, the meals were carefully checked for specifications and quality. By the time the crew arrived at the aircraft, dnata had successfully loaded all the equipment in the galley on time. Our team was then able to perform the galley hand-over to the crew.

As is customary for inaugural flights, dnata presented the crew with a beautifully decorated cake.

The success of the flight was down to excellent teamwork between dnata Singapore and SWISS Catering Operations, both before and on the big day itself.

Our team continues to deliver the good work, providing about 2,800 hot meals per week for the service.

Mark has over 25 years of experience in the logistics industry and has held numerous senior roles up to board level within the TNT Group. Prior to his appointment with dnata, Mark was Global Operations Director at TNT, where he was responsible for Networks and Operations of the company. Originally from the United Kingdom, Mark has spent time working in the Middle East and more recently, Germany and the Netherlands. 

“Replacing a leader with as much industry experience and respect as Urs Zorn is never easy,” said Gary Chapman, President of dnata. “We were impressed with his experience and leadership that Mark has demonstrated in his career so far.  We’re confident that he will be a solid addition to the dnata family”. 

In his new role as CEO for dnata in Switzerland, Mark will be responsible for overseeing and developing dnata’ s ground and cargo handling operations. This will include the management of some 1,055 staff and over 40 airline customers. The new posting in Switzerland will be effective as of 30th July 2012.