Dubai’s Dnata CEO: Airport Check-in Queues Could Be ‘Eliminated’ With New Technology
Dubai National Air Travel Agency, or dnata, is considering to automate the passenger experience at airports operated by the agency across the world, dnata CEO Steve Allen told Arabian Business in an exclusive interview.
“On the passenger side, we will be looking for more automation of the passenger experience – we are looking at introducing handheld devices for check-in and boarding, which will eliminate the need to queue at desks,” Allen said, adding that biometrics will also be enhanced in the process.
Allen’s comments came on the sidelines of an exclusive media round table held at dnata on Tuesday, where he also discussed other technology that will be introduced in the current financial year, operations at Al Maktoum International Airport, and more, following a stellar performance in 2023-2024.
dnata to roll out new cargo management systems in 2024-2025
dnata is a leading global provider of airport operations, catering & retail, and travel services operating in over 130 airports across 30+ countries, will continue to invest in innovation through data optimisation, visual AI, and robotics.
When asked about what other introduction to technology will be made this year, dnata’s Allen said the company will be rolling out their global cargo system ‘OneCargo’, which is a fully integrated warehouse management system.
“We’re rolling out [OneCargo] to all our cargo facilities all over the world so that they can interact and pass information between them – this is a major focus for us this year. We will also be rolling out Cargo I, which has the capability to measure all of the different boxes, pallets and other things, and also suggest a way that it can be stacked more effectively,” he said.
For ground operations, Allen said, dnata will be introducing more tools for ground vehicles, which will optimise all equipment across operations, whereas on the travel side, the company will invest more on enhancing customer experience throughout websites, etc.
dnata to introduce travel packages during holiday season
When questioned about it, Allen disclosed that dnata intends to offer exclusive travel packages tailored for international tourists during the busiest vacation periods, though the specifics remain confidential at this stage.
“We definitely see people’s desire to travel – which is very strong – and so we want to offer lots of solutions for people to travel all over the world,” he said.
dnata involved in ‘design phase’ of Al Maktoum International Airport
dnata, which already operates out of Dubai World Central (DWC), will “gradually” ramp up operations with the new facility.
However, Allen also revealed that the agency is “intimately involved in the design” of the facility.
“We have been engaged with what the macro design looks like and we are now engaged in a more detailed design about what baggage areas should look like, what the tunnel infrastructure under the airport should be, how we will power vehicles and more,” he added.
