By Rafiq Vayani
VANCOUVER, Canada: GTA dnata, dnata’s joint-venture company in Canada, has been awarded a 5-year ground handling license and will establish operations at Vancouver International Airport (YVR). The company will provide quality and safe ramp, passenger and cargo warehousing services to airlines with a team of highly trained, customer-oriented aviation professionals. GTA dnata will commence operations at YVR in the fourth quarter of 2020.
A trusted partner of 17 airlines in Toronto, GTA dnata’s expansion into Vancouver cements the company’s position as a leading air services provider in Canada. In 2019, GTA dnata assisted 1.2 million passengers and moved over 90,000 tons of cargo at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ).
“We are thrilled to expand our network and launch operations in Vancouver,” said Mario D’Urso, GTA dnata’s chairman. “The time is right for us to make this move as our commitment to safety, quality and service excellence is now more important than ever. We thank the Vancouver Airport Authority for this opportunity and look forward to a successful start-up and much future success.”
dnata entered the Canadian aviation market by establishing GTA dnata through the acquisition of a 50% stake in GTA Aviation’s cargo and ground handling operations at Toronto Pearson International Airport in 2016. Since then, the company has consistently invested in its team, infrastructure and equipment and delivers reliable air services with a team of 700 dedicated employees.
This January dnata further expanded its footprint in Canada, commencing flight catering operations in Vancouver. The company’s new, state-of-the art facility at Vancouver International Airport represents a multi-million dollar investment and has a capacity of up to 8,000 inflight meals a day.
A global air services provider, dnata provides ground handling, cargo and catering services to over 300 airlines at 126 airports in 19 countries. In the financial year 2019-20 dnata’s dedicated teams handled 681,000 aircraft, moved 2.9 million tonnes of cargo and uplifted more than 93 million meals.
