DNATA was established by an Amiri Decree in 1959 by the late Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, providing
ground handling services to all airlines at Dubai International Airport. By 1961 it was handling 772 scheduled flights and 10,500 passengers. Today the Company handles annually 80,000 aircraft movements, 6.5 million passengers and over 250,000 tons of cargo.

Nearly forty years on DNATA has evolved into a group of companies that includes Emirates Airlines, Mercator (one of their roles is being NDC for Galileo in 4 countries), DNATA Cargo (Cargo Terminal Operator), DNATA Airport services (sole handling agent for all carriers that operate into Dubai International Airport) and of course, DNATA Agencies is one of the largest travel agencies in the world.

This is all a far cry from the days of operating from one shop in Al-Nasr square, to now owning over 25 retail outlets throughout the UAE and having a fully computerized network that links it’s offices in several countries. The Airline Centre, Headquarters of the Organization in Dubai, has about 1500 PCs linked to the LAN. The Company has an enviable reputation in the Region for market leaders in several segments of the business.

DNATA is a household name in the UAE and one that commands a significant amount of power. The Company has been voted for fiveconsecutive years as the Best Travel Agency in the Middle East. In October 1996, DNATA in an unprecedented move, changed the name of it’s business travel division to BTI UAE. In doing so the Company displayed a tremendous degree of dedicated commitment and absolute belief in the philosophy of BTI.