Dubai: Dnata, a unit of Emirates Group providing air services, was awarded a licence to provide flight catering services to airlines departing from Vancouver International Airport, marking dnata Catering’s entry into Canada.
In a statement on Tuesday, dnata said that it will now commence planning, approvals, and the construction of a catering facility at Vancouver, at an investment of more than C$7 million (Dh4.49 million). Operations are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2018.
The company currently operates passenger, land control services, and warehouse handling services at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.
Vancouver will be dnata’s 64th catering location, and its 130th global air services location. The facility will have an initial capacity of up to 8,000 meals a day, and dnata expects to employ over 150 employees once operating at that capacity.
Robin Padgett, divisional senior vice-president of dnata’s catering division, said in a statement on Tuesday that the new facility is an exciting opportunity for the company, considering solid passenger growth at Vancouver’s airport.
Globally, dnata prepares over 320,000 meals a day for more than 190 airlines.
Dnata’s latest full-year financial results, for the financial year ended March 31, 2017, showed profits crossing Dh1.2 billion, as revenues jumped 15 per cent to reach Dh12.2 billion. This was supported by new acquisitions in the US and the Czech Republic.
