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Steven Polmans
TIACA Chairman

The two most frequently asked questions I hear at the moment are “how long will this take” and “will our world and industry look different” after Covid-19. Unfortunately, I can only repeat what I said before: I have no idea…

Previous crises have taught us that we as humanity are very agile and resilient. But at the same time, we also quickly fall back into old habits and quickly forget. Will we as a society learn lessons from this crisis? Undoubtedly. Will this radically change our industry? I don’t think so. And more than ever, air freight has proven to be particularly important in our supply chain for both our daily lives and in times of crisis. Something we already knew, but also is something understood (again) at board room level, at the political level and among the general public.

Covid-19 is also a challenge for our association and we are obliged to think carefully about how to react and plan for this. It is partly our task today to weigh on agendas so that air cargo is not forgotten by governments and large organizations when it comes to aviation in general. Also today we notice that too often cargo is forgotten in this discussion. And at the same time, we have to think about how to remain active in these circumstances and what our members expect from us. In the past year, we have started a transformation process in order to create a more modern and new TIACA. Retaining the good from the past, but combining it with today’s opportunities and challenges. And now, more than ever, we need to move faster to achieve this change, while also taking into account what the world will look like tomorrow.

This crisis will undoubtedly hurt many. But every crisis brings winners and losers. Those who know how to be creative and flexible are in the front line to come out stronger. And that is our ambition as TIACA. As a board, we have set up a working group to continue our transformation in the coming weeks in order to come out stronger. And we still want to do this with our members. Certainly the trustees, but also the other members and the wider industry. Some of our initiatives will unfortunately have to be postponed, new ones will soon see the light of day. We will adapt to the new reality.

We look forward to the end of the year with hope and anticipation. Hopefully the worst of the crisis will be behind us and we will be able to organize a successful Air Cargo Forum in Miami, together with our partner Messe Munich. Because no matter how digital we are, meeting each other face to face again and talking and consulting with each other, is still one of the fun aspects of our job and this industry. So that’s something I’m looking forward to.

Until then, I wish you and your family, friends and colleagues good health and lots of mental strength! Together we’ll get out of this. Stronger than ever!

Steven Polmans
Chairman of TIACA

Gerry’s dnata Expands Offering; Launches Line Maintenance Services in Pakistan

Karachi, Pakistan, 13 January 2022 – Gerry’s dnata, Pakistan’s leading ground services provider, has expanded its offering. The company obtained Maintenance Organization Approval from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority to provide aircraft line maintenance services to airline customers, and now offers a one-stop-shop of ground handling, cargo and technical services at the airports of Karachi (KHI), Lahore (LHE) and Islamabad (ISB). 

Gerry’s dnata’s team of professionals can provide full line maintenance support and are trained on customers’ company procedures, providing a seamless service to both passenger and cargo airlines.

The launch customer is flydubai, which Gerry’s dnata already serves at four airports in Pakistan providing a range of ramp and passenger handling services to the airline and its customers.

Syed Haris Raza, Vice President of Gerry’s dnata, said: “As Pakistan’s leading ground handler, we constantly enhance our offering to best meet the needs of our customers. We are confident that our airline partners will welcome the expansion of our portfolio and take advantage of getting quality and safe ground handling and technical services from a single provider. Our team of highly trained, seasoned professionals will deliver world-class quality and safety for our valued customers.”

Mick Hills, Senior Vice President of Engineering and Maintenance at flydubai, said: “We are looking forward to expanding our relationship with Gerry’s dnata to include line maintenance services in Pakistan. Having a single, local provider to oversee our line maintenance, as well as ground handling, will add more efficiencies to our fleet management and ensure a quicker turnaround of our aircraft.”

Gerry’s dnata have the capability to handle the following aircraft types for scheduled, unscheduled and AOG services:

  • Airbus A319/A320/A321 NEO (CFM LEAP-1A)
  • Airbus A318/319/320/321 (CFM56)
  • Airbus A319/320/321 (IAE V2500)
  • Airbus A330 (RR RB 211 Trent 700)
  • Airbus A330 (GE CF6)
  • Boeing B737-600/700/800/900 (CFM56)

Over the past year, Gerry’s dnata has continued to enhance its operations and services to deliver the highest level of quality and safety and help airline customers safely transport passengers and precious cargo to and from Pakistan. It made significant investments in infrastructure, technology and equipment, including the opening of a new, state-of- the-art cargo facility in Lahore which doubled the company’s cargo handling capacity at the airport.

Gerry’s dnata’s quality of service helped it win or retain over 20 contracts with key accounts across its network. The company also achieved prestigious industry certifications, including GDP and IATA’s ISAGO accreditation, which validate its capabilities and place the business in a market leading position.

Gerry’s dnata serves more than 20 airline customers at seven Pakistani airports. The company’s team consists of over 2,500 dedicated aviation professionals who assist more than seven million passengers and handle 150,000 tons of cargo annually.

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Contact
Gabor Vasarhelyi
Public Relations, dnata
[email protected]