Sustainability: dnata to cut CO2 emissions by 80 per cent in the UAE

Air and travel services provider dnata has taken steps to reduce its environmental footprint across its operations in the UAE.

dnata’s group brands dnata Logistics, Arabian Adventures, Alpha Flight Services and City Sightseeing have switched their vehicles to operate using a biofuel blend.

dnata says that the move will save 80 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions per year, equivalent to over 320,000km driven by an average petrol-powered car.

dnata Logistics has switched 31 of its trucks to run on a biofuel blend at its Dubai-based hub. Providing multimodal freight forwarding, logistics, supply chain and road transport services, its trucks cover up to a total 217,000km per month. The move saves almost 35 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, the equivalent of eight petrol-powered cars driven for one whole year.

City Sightseeing Dubai, a joint venture with dnata Travel Group, operates three tour routes, aiding viewing of Dubai’s top attractions, through the use of 21 open-top, biofueled buses. These cover an average 76,000km per month, removing over 32 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year – the equivalent of the electricity use of four average homes for 12 months.

Alpha Flight Services (Alpha), dnata’s inflight catering joint venture, has already switched five landside vehicles to biofuel blend, and is also in the process of transitioning all of its Sharjah-based airside catering trucks. Alpha now sends its used cooking oil to the biofuel manufacturer and once recycled, it is then reused within its vehicles. One litre of oil recycled into biofuel avoids the emissions of 3kg of CO2, a reduction of 92 per cent compared to diesel fuel use. Alpha’s vehicles cover over 27,000km per month, supporting the company’s catering operations that create over 25,000 meals a day. As a result of the initiative, Alpha will save seven tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, the equivalent of charging over 850,000 smartphones.

Arabian Adventures has also switched the generators at its desert safari camps to a biofuel mix. Arabian Adventures is saving almost five tonnes of CO2 emissions per year as a result of the initiative, equating to 1987 litres of diesel.

Steve Allen, CEO of dnata Group, said, “The introduction of biofuel to a diverse range of our UAE businesses is an important step in our ongoing journey. It offers a simple and effective method of cutting emissions throughout the fuel lifecycle, without requiring any changes to equipment. We will continue to invest in our operations, including large-scale infrastructure solutions, to further enhance our sustainability performance and achieve our green operations targets.”

dnata sustainability initiatives

Dnata’s latest biofuel initiative is part of its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and waste to landfill by 20 per cent by 2024 in line with its two-year green operations strategy.

In June 2022, dnata said that that it would invest $100m in green operations in two years to enhance its environmental efficiency globally.

The company offers ground handling, cargo, travel, catering and retail services in over 30 countries across six continents. More than 15 per cent of the company’s global fleet is now electrified.

Read: UAE’s dnata introduces cooking robot at World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo

This article originally appeared on Business Traveller Middle East.