dnata
Dubai National Air Travel Agency (Arabic: دناتا) (commonly known as dnata) is an Emirati airport services provider which provides aircraft ground handling, cargo, travel, and flight catering services across five continents.
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Ground Handling Industry |
| Founded | 1959 Dubai[1] |
| Founder | [1] |
| Headquarters | Emirates Group Headquarters, Al Garhoud, Dubai , |
Area served | 84 countries[1] |
Key people |
|
| Products | Aviation Services |
| Owner | Public |
| Parent | The Emirates Group |
| Website | http://dnata.com |
History edit
dnata was established in 1959 in Dubai, UAE, with five employees. The name originates as an acronym for Dubai National Air Travel Agency. It has grown significantly[2] with the first international expansion seen in 1993.
In 2008, the company acquired a 23% share in the travel company Hogg Robinson Group (HRG) and a 49% share of the global outsource provider Mind Pearl.
In 2010, dnata acquired Alpha Flight Limited, expanding the company to cover 62 airports in 12 countries. The next year, the company opened offices in India, offering air travel, hotel, and visa services for travellers between India and Dubai.[3][non-primary source needed]
In 2015, dnata acquired RM Ground Services, in Brazil expanding the operations to 84 countries and operating across 6 continents servicing over 150 airlines.
In February 2018, dnata co-founded the Airline Catering Association, which is based in Brussels, Belgium.[4]
Controversy edit
In 2019, a dnata employee and others were arrested while they were taking drugs off a plane at Sydney Airport. AFP and Border Force officers swooped and arrested them.[5]
In 2021, six dnata baggage handlers and other people were arrested after they planned to bring drugs into Sydney Airport.[6]
Ground handling edit
dnata employs over 41,000 people who handle passenger, cargo, ramp and technical services for airlines at Dubai International Airport.[timeframe?] Globally, dnata also provides airport services to over 127 airports:[citation needed]
- Germany: Cologne
- Australia: Adelaide, Darwin, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Sydney (formerly a joint venture with Toll Holdings[7])
- Belgium: Brussels
- Brazil: Aracaju, Belém, Brasília, Boa Vista, Campina Grande, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Ilhéus, Juazeiro do Norte, Joao Pessoa, Manaus, Macapá, Maceió, Natal, Petrolina, Porto Alegre, Porto Seguro, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, São Luis, Salvador, Santarém, São Paulo-Campinas, São Paulo-Guarulhos and Teresina
- Canada: Toronto (joint venture with GTA: dnata GTA)
- China: Guangzhou and Xi'an
- Czech Republic: Prague
- Ireland: Dublin
- Italy: Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa (joint venture with Airport Handling), Trapani
- Iraq: Erbil
- The Netherlands: Amsterdam
- Pakistan: Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, and Quetta (joint venture with Gerrys: Gerrys dnata)
- Philippines: Manila, Clark and Cebu
- Romania: Bucharest
- Singapore: Singapore Changi
- Switzerland: Geneva and Zurich
- United Kingdom: London Heathrow, Manchester, Gatwick, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Glasgow, East Midlands and Newcastle
- United States: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Detroit, El Paso, Grand Rapids, Houston, Indianapolis, Laredo, Los Angeles, Lubbock, McAllen, Milwaukee, Newark, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Sanford, Tampa, Washington Dulles and Wichita
Mercator has been the information technology arm of dnata providing technology and services to the aviation industry worldwide.[8] In 2014 Warburg Pincus, a private equity firm, acquired the majority stake of Mercator and merged it with Accelya in 2017. The combined company operating under the Accelya brand has 2,800 employees and serves 400 clients worldwide.[9][10]
Cargo edit
Functioning as the cargo handling operator for the Dubai International Airport Cargo Gateway, cargo services are provided both regionally and internationally at their overseas airports, handling over 3 million tons of cargo annually. In 1991, Calogi,[11] an online communication portal was set up for the cargo community and was the first of its kind in the region allowing airlines, shippers, freight forwarders and ground handling agents to conduct business anywhere in the world.
Travel edit
dnata Travel provides assistance in the areas of corporate and government travel, luxury holidays, events, groups and incentives, retail and marine travel. There are 202 locations across the GCC with operational presence in Afghanistan, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. dnata Travel is also the regional managing partner for the Hogg Robinson Group in the Middle East and West Asia.
In the United Kingdom dnata Travel owns and operates a number of travel brands these include the Gold Medal Travel Group which includes Pure Luxury, Cruise Plus and Incredible Journey's these brands operate in the business-to-business market selling through travel agencies across the UK. Selling directly to consumers dnata Travel own and operate the Travelbag, Travel Republic and Netflights brands.
Flight catering edit
Through the acquisition of Alpha Flight Limited in 2010, dnata operates an international flight catering service across 62 airports and 12 countries. With an annual turnover of £360 million STG (AED2.3 billion) in 2010, the company serves 120,000 meals on a daily basis.[12]
Travel Republic edit
| Industry | Travel |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2003 |
| Founder |
|
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | United Kingdom |
| Products | |
| Services | Travel Agency |
| Owner | The Emirates Group, DNATA |
| Website | www |
Travel Republic Limited is an online travel agency founded in the United Kingdom and launched in 2003. Travel Republic is owned by the air services provider, dnata World Travel, which is a part of the Emirates Group.[14]
History edit
Travel Republic was founded in 2003 by university students Chris Waite, Paul Furner, Kane Pirie[15] and travel agent Peter Furner.[16] They desired to create a website where customers could book accommodation, flights, car transfers and airport parking in one place. The company specialises in enabling users to build their own holiday experience by combining different elements from the Travel Republic site.[17][18]
Travel Republic is a travel search website acting as an agent only. The company is a member of ABTA[19] and holds an ATOL License.[20]
In January 2007, the company moved to its current headquarters in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey. In the same year the company had an annual sales growth of 284.2% and topped the charts of The Sunday Times Virgin Atlantic Fast Track 100.[21]
In December 2011 the company was bought by Dnata World Travel which is a subsidiary of the Emirates Group, based in Dubai.[22]
In December 2015 Travel Republic launched a cruise service in partnership with Imagine Cruising.[23]
In July 2018 Dnata appointed Frank Rejwan (formerly of Abercrombie & Kent, Quintessentially and Ickenham Travel Group) as Managing Director for Travel Republic.[24]
Operations and technology edit
In January 2012, Travel Republic first introduced its mobile website, before expanding into mobile app on IOS in 2014. In 2015 the Android version of the app was launched.
The company aired its first YouTube ad on 17 January 2011.[25] Their first television campaign 'The Last Click' aired in June 2014.[26] With its success, Travel Republic continued to launch TV advertising campaigns. 'Welcome to the Travel Republic' was launched in January 2016[27] before the latest campaign aired in December 2016 across UK and Ireland.[28] The campaign highlighted Travel Republic's slogan, 'Yours for the making'.
Controversy edit
In a case brought by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Travel Republic was accused of breaching ATOL regulations by selling unlicensed package holidays. Judge Nicholas Evans delivered the not-guilty verdict at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 10 November 2009.[29] In his judgement, Evans said the prosecution had failed to prove that Travel Republic did anything other than "sell components of holidays separately, but at the same time".[30][31]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c "Emirates Group Media Center :: Fact Files". Mediacentre.ekgroup.com. Retrieved 3 June 2007.
- ^ "Annual Reports, Facts and Figures | The Emirates Group". Mediacentre.ekgroup.com. 13 May 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- ^ "dnata in India". Dnata.com. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- ^ "Airline-Caterer gründen Interessensvertretung". Austrainavaiation.net. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- ^ "Two arrested, meth seized at Sydney Airport following drug trafficking operation". Australian Federal Police. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ "Six ground handling staff charged with attempt to import drugs into Sydney Airport". Abc.net.au. 15 October 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ "TAS - Toll Air Services - Airline Ground Handling Partners Australia-Wide". Tolldnata.com. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
- ^ . Mercator.com. 27 September 2012. Archived from the original on 2 February 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- ^ "Warburg Pincus buys majority stake in Emirates' aviation tech firm". Reuters.com. 8 April 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ Muir, James (19 September 2017). "Accelya and Mercator to operate under the Accelya brand name". Aircargoweek.com. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ "Apply Emirates Visa With Dnata". Calogi.com. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- ^ . Dnata.com. 31 December 2010. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- ^ "TravelRepublic tops Fast Track 100". Breakingtravelnews.com. 4 December 2007.
- ^ "TRAVEL REPUBLIC LTD - Overview (free company information from Companies House)". Beta.companieshouse.gov.uk.
- ^ "Travel Republic Sold". Travel Weekly.
- ^ "Travel Republic is the UK's Fastest Growing Privately Owned Company". Investigate.co.uk. 5 December 2007.
- ^ "10 Best Last-Minute Travel Websites". Independent.co.uk. 3 December 2018.
- ^ "The 10 best websites for booking a city break". Telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ "Travel Advice & Holiday Information - ABTA". Abta.com.
- ^ "Check an ATOL Search Results". Publicapps.caa.co.uk.
- ^ "TravelRepublic.co.uk tops the Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100 list". Traveldailynews.com.
- ^ "Dnata Acquires Travel Republic - ITTN". Ittn.ie. 7 January 2012.
- ^ "Travel Republic creates cruise offering". Ttgmedia.com.
- ^ Ltd, Jacobs Media Group. "Dnata appoints new MD for Travel Republic". Travelweekly.co.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ Republic, Travel. "Travel Republic Launches First Ever TV Campaign". Prnewswire.co.uk.
- ^ "Making Travel Republic the Last Click for holidays". Antidote.co.uk. 16 June 2014.
- ^ "Travel Republic creates national anthem for TV campaign". Campaignlive.co.uk.
- ^ "Travel Republic TV Advert 2017". Commercial-song.net. 28 December 2016.
- ^ "Travel Republic vs CAA Court Ruling" (PDF). Travellawquarterly.co.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ "Travel Republic victory: Reaction from the trade". Travelweekly.co.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ "Travel Industry News". Abta.com. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
External links edit
- Official website
- dnata UK website
- dnata Switzerland website
- Mercator website 18 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine
- Calogi website