Dubai: Dnata, Emirates Group’s aviation and travel services unit, saw an increase in passengers, flights and cargo in 2016, with its UAE operations continuing to expand, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.
2016 saw significant growth in aircraft handling and passenger movement, with dnata handling more than 91.3 million passengers, 97.8 million bags and 431,978 aircraft movements between Dubai International (DXB) and Al Maktoum International, representing more than a 16 per cent increase in the number of passengers using the airport.
The company also registered a 4 per cent increase in the number of flights compared to 2015.
Doha was the most popular destination from Dubai, with over 2.99 million passengers making the journey from the emirate, and 3.2 million bags travelling with them, dnata said.
It added that on its busiest day of 2016 — December 23 — dnata was supported by 18,529 staff who handled 281,388 passengers and 329, 341 bags, and one aircraft movement every 73 seconds.
Last year was also dnata’s most profitable, seeing revenue increase by 13 per cent to reach $777 million.
“It’s been a challenging year but our team has demonstrated unwavering commitment to delivering the highest standards to our customers,” stated Steve Allen, DSVP dnata Airport Operations. “2017 will require us to be even more tactile and responsive to the needs of the market, and stay on top of our game to ensure a robust year ahead.”
Al Maktoum International also saw a spike in passenger numbers with flydubai’s growing operations at the airport in 2016, dnata said.
As for the cargo business, dnata now handles more than 117,000 tonnes of cargo at DWC with the number set to grow. It had also grown into a regional cargo hub with a capacity to grow to 16 million tonnes per year.
