GTA dnata has been awarded a 5-year ground handling license to operate at Vancouver International Airport (YVR). The company will provide ramp, passenger and cargo warehousing services by the fourth quarter of 2020, a press release confirmed.

The Canadian joint venture was established when Dubai-based dnata bought a 50-percent stake in GTA Aviation’s cargo and ground handling operations at Toronto Pearson International Airport, marking the entry of the Dubai-based air services provider into Canadian market. In 2019, GTA dnata assisted 1.2 million passengers and moved over 90,000 tonnes of cargo at YYZ, where it has 17 partner airlines. 

“We are thrilled to expand our network and launch operations in Vancouver,” said Mario D’Urso, GTA dnata’s chairman. “The time is right for us to make this move as our commitment to safety, quality and service excellence is now more important than ever. We thank the Vancouver Airport Authority for this opportunity and look forward to a successful start-up and much future success.” 

The air services provider started operating flight catering services at YVR in January, with a state-of-the-art facility that could produce up to 8,000 inflight meals a day. 

For FY 2019-2020, dnata said it handled 681,000 aircraft, moved 2.9 million tonnes of cargo and uplifted more than 93 million meals to the 300 airlines and 126 airports that it serves.