dnata quadruples catering capacity in Dublin

Dublin, Ireland,

Sallam Sallam

dnata, one of the world’s leading air services providers, has commenced operations at its new catering unit in Dublin. The state-of-the art facility quadruples dnata’s catering capacity in the Irish capital, enabling the company to deliver 40,000 quality inflight meals a day for customers. Already serving six airlines from its existing facility in Dublin, dnata’s continued expansion underlines its long-term commitment to Ireland and the local aviation industry.

Covering an area of 6,300m², dnata’s new facility is located in the Dublin Airport Logistics Park – near its existing operation. It is equipped with the latest technologies and has a capacity of over 30,000 meals a day. dnata’s expansion comes as a result of an agreement with Aer Lingus, which sees it now provide inflight catering services to the airline at four airports in Dublin, Shannon, Cork and Belfast. dnata is working closely with Aer Lingus and its other partners to flexibly meet constantly changing demand while ensuring the highest possible level of safety across its operations amid current global challenges.

Robin Padgett, dnata’s Divisional Senior Vice President for Catering, said: “It is great to be operational at our new, ultramodern catering centre, the 65^th production facility in our global network. Despite the impact of COVID-19, our team and our partners have managed to deliver a quality operation on budget, as planned.

“We look forward to serving more customers in Dublin, both in the air and on the ground, with a team of highly-experienced culinary professionals.”

dnata entered the Irish market in 2010 when it acquired Alpha Flight Group, which included a facility in Cork. In January 2018 the company further expanded its operations in the country by opening a new catering unit in Dublin. Between its facilities in Cork and Dublin dnata currently serves six airlines.

dnata’s multi-million Euro investment in Ireland in 2020 has spanned construction, facility fit-out, vehicles and staff training. In addition to its newest unit in Dublin, the company will shortly complete the fit-out of a brand new facility in Shannon and further enhance its operations in Cork.

Over the past 12 months dnata has also invested significantly in specialist catering equipment manufactured in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, purchasing more than 60 vehicles which are now in use across its global catering network.

Globally, dnata provides reliable and safe air services to over 300 airlines around the world. The company’s catering division has a dedicated team of employees delivering high-quality catering, inflight retail and food & beverage solutions from 65 facilities in 12 countries.