13 Bernd Struck
SVP, UAE Cargo, dnata
Year of establishment: 1959
Location of head office: Dubai
Total employees: 18,000
Years in the company: 8 years
Bernd Struck leads dnatas cargo business in the UAE, having joined dnata in Dubai in 2008 as VP of Baggage Services before moving into his current role in May 2014.
Across three continents, dnata Cargo handles 2.3 million tonnes of cargo annually; over 6,300 tonnes of cargo a day. Operations serve 198 airlines, with cargo operations at 40 airports.
In its 57 years of operation, 2015-16 has been dnatas most profitable yet, crossing AED1bn profit for the first time. Building on its strong results in the previous year, dnatas revenue grew to AED10.6bn. dnatas international business now accounts for more than 64% of its revenue.
Building on last years record levels of investment, dnata continued to lay the foundations for future growth by investing AED585mn into developing its people, facilities, technology and new acquisitions
Revenue from dnatas UAE Airport Operations, including aircraft and cargo handling increased by 13% to reach AED2.9bn. The strong revenue rise accounts for the effect of the 80-day runway closure at Dubai International airport (DXB) which dampened revenue growth in the previous year.
In line with revenue growth, the number of aircraft handled by dnata in the UAE increased 12% to 211,000, whereas Cargo handling dropped by 6% to 689,000 tonnes reflecting the cargo industrys ongoing malaise. Dubai World Central now accounts for 24% of dnatas cargo handling activities in Dubai. During the year, dnata began operations at DXBs new concourse D, with 3,000 staff trained to help customers transition to the new facilities.
Al Maktoum International airport at Dubai World Central (DWC) marked its first full year of passenger operations in 2014, and became a regional cargo hub with a capacity of 16 million tonnes per year. dnata now handles more than 80,000 tonnes of cargo a month at DWC and this number will continue to grow.