Air, Freight News

dnata enters Canada with investment in GTA’s cargo and ground handling operations

[ December 16, 2016   //   Gary G Burrows ]

dnata, one of the world’s leading air services providers, has reached an agreement with Canada’s GTA Aviation to purchase a 50% stake in its cargo and ground handling operations at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
This investment marks dnata’s first step into the Canadian market and is a significant development in the company’s expansion into the Americas, less than a year after announcing investments in the USA and Brazil.
GTA’s airport handling operations were launched by Mario D’Urso in 2014, who will continue as a joint partner. The company has 130 employees, serving over 1,400 flights annually. It handles over 58,000 tonnes of cargo each year at its state of the art 83,000 sq.ft warehouse facility at Toronto Pearson.
In under three years, GTA has successfully secured handling contracts with several important airline customers, based on its reputation for delivering a high quality and customer-focussed product. Key customers include Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Cargojet, China Southern Airlines, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Fly Jamaica, Korean Air, SWISS and WestJet.
This transaction does not include GTA’s other businesses including GSE sales and maintenance, which will continue to be owned and managed by Mario, Angelo and Domenic D’Urso.
The Mississauga-based company’s cargo and ground handling operations will be rebranded to “GTA dnata”. The current CEO, Gary Ogden, will continue to manage the business and operations. All current management and employees will also remain with the company.

Tags: Dnata