Dubai's dnata wins Swiss airport contracts

Dubai-based dnata announced on Tuesday that it has been selected by British Airways and Iberia to provide ground handling services at both Zurich and Geneva Airports in Switzerland.

The two International Airlines Group (IAG) airlines selected dnata to provide passenger handling, ticketing, ramp handling and de-icing services starting in February 2013.

The contract will extend to some 5,000 flights a year at Geneva airport and 4,500 at Zurich, dnata said in a statement.

dnata’s business in Switzerland already provides passenger, baggage, ramp and cargo handling services at both Zurich and Geneva to over 60 airlines from around the world.

dnata recently commenced de-icing activities at Zurich Airport and now provides this service at both Swiss airports.

This follows an investment of 3.2 million Euros in state-of-the-art Elephant Beta de-icing trucks from Vestergaard. 

These will now form part of the fleet of vehicles needed to help the dnata team provide services for British Airways, Iberia and all its airline customers at these two airports. 

Earlier this year, dnata acquired a majority stake in En Route International Ltd, a supplier of bakery and packaged food solutions with operations in London, Dubai and the US.

Dnata said the latest deal represents a further investment in the airline catering sector, whose recent acquisitions in Alpha Flight Group Ltd and Wings Inflight Service extended the company’s international network to 75 airports in 39 countries.

Dnata is one of the world’s largest combined air services providers and is wholly owned by the Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD).