Dnata has officially opened its 37,000 square foot cargo centre that includes the only dedicated cool-chain perishable cargo facility at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
Developed as part of its agreement with AirLogistix USA, which it acquired last year, dnata opened the facility in cooperation with the Dallas Airport Authority, costing $3 million and creating up to 50 new jobs.
The facility features 18,000 square feet of space dedicated to cool-chain solutions with experienced staff to ensure that perishables such as pharmaceuticals, fruits, vegetables, fresh fish and seafood, meat and flowers maintain their freshness during the transportation process.
Having received IATA CEIV Pharma accreditation, Japan Airlines was the first launch customer to experience the state-of-the-art facility from 1 November 2017.
Dnata USA chief executive officer, David Barker says: “We realised that it was not only important for us to build a modern cool-chain facility to meet our long term objectives, but to also go the extra mile and ensure the compliance of our operations against the highest international standards.
“There is a clear need to increase capacity and ensure our customers have the flexibility that meets their specific needs via our cool-chain solutions.”
Dallas Fort Worth executive vice president global strategy and development, John Ackerman says: “Shippers in many trade lanes between Latin America and Asia with perishables like salmon, berries, and asparagus, can save as much as two days by using DFW over other airports.
“DFW’s strength lies in its airline network of passenger service with daily belly cargo capacity between Latin America and Asia combined with our excellent freighter services to Asia by nine Asian air freighter operators.”
Dnata has also acquired a cargo facility in Houston and has significantly expanded its global cargo network with 18 new facilities in the past five years.
With the investments in Houston and Dallas, dnata now handles over 2.8 million tonnes of cargo at 43 airports worldwide, and dnata USA employs 4,200 employees and operates in 18 airports and 13 postal facilities.
