Emirates group's airport services unit Dnata to invest $100m in green operations

The Dubai-based travel services provider aims to reduce its carbon footprint by 50% by 2030

Dnata has been working closely with airline customers to analyse consumption trends and use predictive data to optimise the loading of food and beverages on flights. Photo: Dnata

Emirates group's airport services unit dnata has said it will invest $100 million in green operations in the next two years across its global network, as part of wider plans to halve its carbon footprint by 2030.

The company’s continuing investment in infrastructure, equipment and process improvement will help it to meet its strategic objectives and reduce its carbon footprint by 20 per cent by 2024 and 50 per cent by 2030, dnata said on Thursday.

"We’ve been making great progress on reducing our carbon footprint, minimising waste and reducing energy and water consumption across our operations," said Steve Allen, chief executive of dnata group.

"We will further increase our investments and efforts in strong cooperation with our partners to achieve our targets and preserve the environment for current and future generations."

The global aviation sector is stepping up plans to tackle climate change as it faces mounting pressure from regulators and environmental activists to mitigate the impact of billions of extra passengers that will take to the skies in the coming decades.

Dnata plans to introduce carbon reduction initiatives in the construction and operation of its new cargo centres in The Netherlands and Iraq, it said.

It has already installed renewable energy features, such as solar panels, heat recovery units and electric vehicle charging, at its operations in the UK, Singapore and Ireland.

In terms of fleet planning, dnata has increased investments in electric and hybrid ramp, ground support and forklift equipment, and refurbished existing centres with new technologies to further decrease emissions and upgrade to the latest safety and quality standards, it said.

Dnata’s catering team is also working closely with many of its airline customers to analyse consumption trends and use predictive data to optimise the loading of food and beverages on flights.

Analysis of on-board data not only reduces food waste but also reduces fuel burn related to carrying excess weight.

Where possible, dnata's catering team sources and supplies local produce to decrease the food miles associated with menus, the company said.

Dnata has also taken measures across its business units to conserve water consumption and recycle materials, such as paper, plastic, cardboard, wood, glass and metal, as well as used cooking and mineral oils.

Earlier this year, the company pledged to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills by 20 per cent by 2024.

Dnata offers ground handling, cargo, travel, catering and retail services in 36 countries across six continents