Airport Operations

Airport Operations

Dubai International Airport is a magnet, drawing more airlines more passengers and more cargo into Dubai. It is poised to become the world’s largest hub for the A380 superjumbos.

As the sole airport operator, dnata must meet phenomenal growth but still maintain and enhance world class standards of efficiency, safety and customer service. In addition, dnata will, in the near future, provide ground handling services at a second international airport, currently under construction in Dubai, Dubai World Central.

The opportunities for professionals with the right skills and qualifications are immense. So is the challenge.

Do you measure up?

Dnata Ground and Cargo Handling

Airline passengers expect a seamless experience from check-in to baggage delivery. And that’s exactly what we deliver. We’ve expanded into some of the world’s busiest airports.

We’re now in 8 countries in 19 airports, from Australia to the UK. Whether greeting passengers with a warm welcome or ensuring their luggage arrives safely at their destination, we ensure smooth arrivals and departures for around 192,442 people each day— around 74 million travellers annually.

Safety is at the heart of everything we do. We promote a just culture that focuses on identifying and resolving issues before they become problems. We pride ourselves on our training standards, sharing best practices among our staff around the world. We use some of our industry’s most advanced technology and lead the way with the implementation of ISAGO (IATA Safety Audit Ground Operations) standards. Today, most of our worldwide operations are ISAGO certified. The rest will soon follow.Our global network serves over 250 airlines, turning around more than 250,000 aircraft each year, or an average of 709 aircraft every day.

Dubai International Airport – Terminal 2
Operations at Terminal 2 play a vital role in dnata’s ground handling business at Dubai International Airport. We offer full ground handling services to Fly Dubai and other passenger carriers, as well as supporting the terminal’s freight operations. Given the breadth of services delivered at Terminal 2, we’re able to offer rewarding careers in check in and baggage, as well as roles in back office, ramp and cargo operations.

Al Maktoum International Airport (AMIA)
When complete, AMIA will become the world’s largest airport, so there’s a real opportunity for skilled and trainee ground handling and cargo professionals to grow in this exciting and challenging environment. At the moment, we provide ground and ramp support services for freight aircraft but, in time, this will also extend to passenger operations.

Customer Services

Our dedicated customer service team is the key interface between our customer airlines and their passengers and we play a leading role in offering the right customer care that is critical to the success of dnata’s ground handling operations. Our team of over 12,000 professionally trained staff ensures the smooth handing of passengers from check-in to boarding and from disembarkation to baggage collection. For passengers requiring extra help, our customer care specialists are trained to help passengers with special needs including unaccompanied minors and the infirm or physically challenged. Other services provided include flight crews handling, executive flight handling, group handling and sea-men handling. For airlines, we offer the ability to connect to your own DCS (Equipment Controlling Systems) hosts through state-of-the-art IT platforms—enabling fast and efficient check-in, and improved customer service.

Key Role:
• Customer Service Agent – Provides customers with excellent service at any designated area, including check-in, the boarding gate, transfer desks and special handling.

Ramp Services

In ramp handling, every second counts and we’re 100% dedicated to ensuring that your aircraft’s tight schedules are met. Through our modern Ramp Services, we deliver a wide range of aircraft handling functions—including aircraft loading/ unloading and technical support functions—including provision of Push Back Vehicles, Air Start Units, Air Conditioning Units, Ground Power Units, Potable Water Units and Toilet Servicing Units. Other services include aircraft appearance services, covering both internal and external clean.

Our Ramp Operations team need to execute quick, efficient aircraft turnarounds to keep the airport running on schedule every day. It’s a challenging environment that calls for a strong leader at the helm.

Key Roles:
• Ramp Operations Team Leader – Oversees all activities related to loading and unloading of aircraft. Leads a team of Airside Operators and a crew of porters, and ensures compliance to safety guidelines, and adherence to Standard Operating Procedures.
• Airside Operator – Undertakes all manual and technical loading and unloading activities of aircraft, and drives and operates a diverse range of technical ground support equipment.

Baggage Services

We ensure our customers’ luggage is always taken care of. Our dedicated Baggage Services staff is responsible for the safe and on-time processing of arrival, joining and transferring of baggage. To achieve that, our dedicated staff handles almost 70 million bags per year worldwide through high-end baggage handling systems.

Key Role:
• Baggage Services Agent – Handles arrival baggage, ensuring that all bags are delivered to our customers as per the relevant service level agreements.

Cargo

Our cargo business spans three continents, shifting over 1.7 million tons annually. That’s 4,766 tons of cargo every day. In a world of instant communication, expectations run high. Real-time tracking helps us turn around express cargo in less than an hour. We continue to pioneer industry standards through investment in technology and training. Our success relies on our ability to keep thousands of boxes flowing smoothly between aircraft and warehouses, even under the most extreme conditions. Handling perishable and priceless goods, from flowers and food to Ferraris and thoroughbreds, is part of our daily life. Every crate contains hundreds of promises. We make sure they pass safely through our gates and onto their final destination.

Key Roles:
• Cargo Assistant – Takes care of a wide range of cargo handling activities. Involved in activities such as preparing cargo documentation, operating ground service equipment, and managing the acceptance, delivery, breakdown and build-up of cargo.
• Cargo Telesales Agent – Sells and promotes all principal airline products and services. Provides comprehensive sales support and information brokerage service to cargo agents with regards to freight rates, flight details, bookings, inter-line connections and governmental regulations.
• Cargo Supervisor – Oversees a team to ensure Cargo Operations run smoothly, and ensures adherence to standard operating procedures and safety precautions.

Ramp Safety and Compliance

dnata is committed to setting the highest standards of safety in the aviation industry, and it’s up to the Ramp Safety and Compliance team to ensure that our people and our equipment adhere to the strictest guidelines.

Our team’s focus is to ensure that aircraft are handled efficiently, in line with dnata’s stringent practices and procedures. They also help create a secure working environment by educating and promoting awareness, engendering a culture of safety within the workplace. The team works closely with management to help them achieve their objectives in minimising work-related injuries and damage to equipment, aircraft and facilities at Dubai International Airport. In the event that incidents do occur, the team is also responsible for investigating any breaches in procedures and recommending how future incidents can be avoided.

Key Role:
• Safety Compliance Officer – Ensures compliance and promotes awareness of all Safety Standards and Safe Practices for dnata Airport Services Ramp environment and Cargo operations staff. Assists dnata management in achieving their objective of minimising work related injuries and damage to equipment, aircraft and facilities at Dubai International Airport, including ensuring all activities meet the requirements set by the Corporate Integrated Safety Management System.

Operations Services

Taking to the skies smoothly with dnata Flight Operations. Our fully licensed flight staff work around-the-clock to provide air crews with flight briefings, covering a careful analysis of aeronautical activities and weather conditions. While our load planners ensure the safe departure of your aircraft with maximum payload. Our control centre maintains flight watch, monitors flight movements, provides airlines with 24-hour coverage and assists flights within VHF (Very High Frequency) range.

Key Role:
• Flight Control Supervisor – Controls the ground handling activity on all flights to ensure safe and timely flight operations that meet customer requirements. Serves as the focal co-ordination point for airlines’ service delivery teams, including the dispatcher for flight handling related information, and for the maintenance of flight movement times.

Business Support

Business Support plays a critical role within dnata since it helps us find new and exciting ways to improve the way we do business with our customers. Within the business, there are several key areas.

Quality Assurance – We’re focused on becoming the world’s most admired air services provider, so the team ensures every part of dnata is striving for best business practices – from our Health and Safety management systems to our environmental initiatives.

Facilities and Planning – The team manages strategy, implementing projects to ensure the airport’s smooth running, including communications support and Airport Transport to make sure passengers and their belongings move through the airport as swiftly and safely as possible both land and airside.

Resource Planning – It takes complex planning to ensure our many thousands of employees and tons of equipment are being optimised, always at the right place at the right time. This is down to our team who create master rosters for operations.

dnata Training – Our world-class training department sets the bar in industry standards, offering training and development in Ground Support Equipment, Ramp Operations, Baggage Services, Dispatch, Operations, Terminal 2 and Safety.

Key Roles:
• Training Officer – Designs, develops and delivers training programmes that are aligned with corporate objectives and business plans.
• Quality Assurance Controller – Ensures the effective implementation of dnata’s integrated management system. Conducts audits and reviews across dnata, and implements corrective or preventative actions to ensure business excellence.
• Resource Planning Controller – Develops, analyses and maintains the staff rosters, and plans ground service equipment allocation.

Technical Services

dnata’s teams of mechanics and technicians have access to the most advanced technology in the industry, so they’re able to offer a premium level of ground support to all dnata’s operations at Dubai International Airport (DIA) and Al Maktoum International Airport. Our Technical Services team works within the strict guidelines of the industry’s governing bodies, as they offer 24/7 assembly, maintenance and repair of equipment and systems for dnata and Emirates airlines, as well as all building maintenance at DIA and fuel supply to customer airlines.

Key Role:
• Maintenance Technician – Undertakes the maintenance, servicing, fault-finding and repair of equipment, vehicles and other plant machinery. Ensures the functional reliability of vehicles to meet the needs of non-stop operational requirements.

Commercial and Business Development

The Commercial and Business Development helps build on the success of dnata Airport Operations by generating revenue and managing the business though several key function areas:

Regional Account Management – At the heart of dnata lies our commitment to customer services, which is why our Regional Account Managers act as Relationship Managers with our customer airlines, creating a personal rapport with each to find out first-hand how our services are being valued and received.

Contracts Management – We understand that each customer airline has its own specific requirements, so our Contracts Management team ensures that each customer receives a tailor-made contract to enable us to serve them to the best of our ability.

Scheduling & Billing – The number of flights operating in Dubai International Airport is increasing all the time and it is the job of the Scheduling team to accurately upload all flights schedules. The Billing team deals with all our customer airline invoices, providing them with the information they need through dnata’s Management Information System.

Visa Services – Many of our customers require visas to visit Dubai, so this dedicated team collects and delivers visas on behalf of the Immigration and Naturalisation department.

Porterage – Our porters are a friendly face and a helping hand for passengers who need luggage assistance whilst arriving at and departing from Dubai International Airport.

Key Role:
• Senior Ramp Revenue Assistant – Takes care of billing and cash collection for the provision of all ground service equipment and other additional services provided to airlines.