The Dubai National Air Transport Association (dnata), a leading global air and travel services provider, has inaugurated a new, state-of-the-art cargo center at London Heathrow Airport (LHR).
The bespoke facility, which is part of the company’s ‘dnata City East’ complex, further expands dnata’s capacity at LHR, ensuring continued smooth handling of a broad range of goods amid rapidly increasing demand for reliable and safe air cargo services in the UK.
The ground services provider’s expansion makes dnata City East comfortably the largest off-site cargo handling operation at the UK’s largest commercial aviation hub. The new, 10,500 square meters facility (Phase II) was designed to operate in conjunction with dnata City East’s existing 22,500 square meters facility (Phase I) which opened in September 2019.
Located immediately south of LHR, both dnata City East facilities were specifically designed to accommodate the operational requirements of dnata and the two airlines. They incorporate the latest carbon reduction initiatives in design and operation, including the use of solar PV panels, air-source heat pumps and electric vehicle charging.
Alex Doisneau MD dnata UK
“We are excited to announce the completion of dnata City East, a truly world-class facility. Our newest cargo complex offers bespoke solutions, industry-leading technology and enhanced cargo capacity supporting our customers in achieving sustainable growth at the UK’s busiest airport. We thank Virgin Atlantic Cargo and Delta Cargo for their support, loyalty and trust in our services. We continue to go the extra mile to consistently provide the highest level of service and safety across our operations, every day.”
dnata City East has already achieved a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ environmental rating for its design stage, with the same status also expected to be achieved for the construction process.
With the addition of dnata City East, dnata now has eight facilities at LHR, each with a team of over 750 highly-trained employees, all of which provide high-end cargo handling infrastructure and services for over 30 international airlines at one of the world’s most important cargo hubs. In London, dnata carried more than 500,000 tons of cargo in 2021.
Mr. Vishal Bhatnagar, Managing Director, Cargo Operations, Delta Cargo, said that “Our U K cargo operation, in partnership with Virgin Atlantic, is a critical part of our global network. The opening of this dnata facility furthers our ability to provide customers with a one-stop experience to pick up and deliver shipments for both partners, making it easier to do business with us. We are grateful for this facility expansion and value our strong, continued partnership with Virgin Atlantic Cargo and dnata, as it sets us up for great success in this market.”
