ACU March 2022-LR

GLOBAL NEWS
dnata to invest over €200 million at Schiphol
Airpo to build the dnata Cargo City Amsterdam
Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Leading global air and
travel services provider, dnata, is investing over €200
million in a fully automated cargo center, the dnata
Cargo City Amsterdam, at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
(AMS).
As one of the largest and most advanced facilities of its
kind, dnata Cargo City Amsterdam will significantly
enhance cargo capacity in The Netherlands and create
new, direct jobs with dnata. It will enable dnata and its
customers to substantially expand operations and
business, stimulating local economy and trade, the
company noted.
Located at Schiphol South-East, the
61,000 m facility will include
increased, 19,000 m warehouse
space, and be capable of processing
over 850,000 tonnes of cargo
annually. It will comply with the
highest industry standards ensuring
efficient and safe handling of all
types of cargo, including
perishables, pharmaceuticals,
dangerous goods, mail, live animals,
aircraft engines and vehicles. The
facility is scheduled to become
operational in 2024.
dnata Cargo City Amsterdam will be developed by
Schiphol Commercial Real Estate and equipped by
Lödige Industries with cutting-edge technologies. The
project is Schiphol Real Estate’s largest ever commercial
property development at AMS. Furthermore, the project
will earn BREEAM excellent certification for sustainability
and eco-friendly design of the facility.
Over the past years, dnata has continued to make
strategic investments in its operations to further
enhance its service offering. This included the opening
of new, state-of-the-art cargo facilities in Manchester
(UK), Karachi and Lahore (Pakistan), and additional cargo
capacity and infrastructure in Brussels (Belgium), Sydney
(Australia) and Toronto (Canada). In addition, this March
dnata will open the second phase of the dnata City East
project at London Heathrow (UK).
dnata currently provides passenger, ground handling
and cargo services to 29 airlines at AMS. dnata The
Netherlands’ customer-oriented team consists of 1,000
aviation professionals, who assist over 1.5 million
passengers, ensure the smooth operations of some
8,000 flights, and handle 580,000 tons of cargo annually.
"We are thrilled to announce a massive, long-term
investment in our cargo operations. dnata Cargo City
Amsterdam will be a game changer in the regional cargo
industry, delivering significant commercial benefits for
our partners, their customers and the local economy,”
said David Barker, dnata’s Divisional Senior Vice President for Airport
Operations.
"Our new cargo facility will enable us to meet the rapidly growing demand
for our efficient and reliable services, providing best-in-class solutions to
our customers. In addition, it will help us continue to consistently deliver
on our two core promises of quality and safety. We thank Schiphol
Airport’s teams for their support and are looking forward to continuing our
successful partnership to strengthen Amsterdam’s position as a leading
cargo hub in the continent,” he added.
Jan Willem Weissink, Managing Director,Schiphol Commercial, said:
"Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is Europe’s best-connected airport, with the
most direct air destinations. The cargo operation is of critical importance
to our airport’s network which became even more evident during the
COVID pandemic. Together with dnata and other partners, Schiphol is
working on a highly successful, efficient and sustainable cargo operation.
We are delighted to have started the construction of dnata Cargo City
Amsterdam for one of our most important partners in the cargo operation
at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol".
dnata Cargo City Amsterdam will be equipped with two separate
automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), using the latest
technology from Lödige Industries, for import and export with twelve
stacker cranes. A total of up to 2,500 pallets will be stored here. In
addition, a separate storage for ULDs will be serviced by four elevating
transport vehicles (ETV).
dnata will also make use of seven intelligent automated guided vehicles
(AGV) to enable flexible and scalable ULD transport within the terminal.
These AGVs, which represent a recent product innovation of Lödige
Industries, will be applied here for the first time on a large scale. Another
special feature will be the implementation of smart gates, which
automatically record the volume and weight of all incoming
consignments by scanning them in 3D, thus significantly speeding up
handling and improving the quality of service.
All elements will be integrated into a comprehensive high performance
warehouse management system to enable dnata to further grow its
operations and service at Schiphol. The high level of automation will not
only save dnata space and time, but will also increase safety and free up
staff for higher-value tasks.
As one of the world’s leading air services providers, dnata provides quality
and reliable ground handling, cargo, catering and retail services at over
120 airports in 14 countries.
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AirCargoUpdate