dnata, one of the world’s largest air services providers, continues to enhance its global catering operations, today opening a new, state-of-the-art catering facility in the capital of Australia, Canberra.

Representing an investment of AUD$ 6.5 million, the newest dnata facility allows the company to meet the increased demand for its quality services and create capacity for further growth in Australia.

dnata’s new Canberra facility has 2000 m² of floor space, which is over 30% more than the existing location it replaces. The kitchen is built over two levels to maximise space, and includes six chill rooms, a deep freeze, storeroom, and an area for ‘plating up’ meals.

dnata currently prepares more than 60,000 inflight meals in Canberra every day, serving a wide range of customers from commercial airlines to charter airlines carrying VIPs, government officials and military. The new facility will allow dnata to further diversify its customer portfolio by expanding its offering into new markets.

Hiranjan Aloysius, CEO of dnata catering Australia, said: “Following the successful completion of our acquisition of Qantas’ catering business, we are thrilled to celebrate another significant milestone in Australia. This facility enhances our ability to delight our customers and their customers, accelerates our growth and expands our market offering. It also supports our growth in non-airline markets – from retail supply to large scale food supply opportunities.”

dnata entered the Australian inflight catering market with the acquisition of Alpha Flight Group in 2010. Since then, the company has gradually expanded its operations in the country through further acquisitions and organic growth. In November, dnata completed the acquisition of Qantas Airways’ catering businesses, cementing its place as Australia’s leading inflight caterer.

dnata also operates a premium quality airport lounge at Melbourne Airport through its hospitality brand, marhaba, offering excellent value services for passengers of all airlines and travel classes.

dnata today offers quality catering services from 15 facilities in Australia, serving 45 airlines at nine airports with a team of over 3,000 customer-oriented employees.

Outside of Australia, over the past 12 months dnata has invested significantly to grow its global catering network – including the opening of a catering facility in Dublin, Ireland and the acquisition of New York-based caterer 121 Inflight Catering. In 2019 dnata will continue to expand its inflight catering operations by opening a total of seven new catering facilities across the USA and Canada.

As one of the world’s largest air services provider, dnata offers quality ground handling, catering and cargo services at 127 airports in 18 countries.