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UAE: Dnata cuts CO2 emissions by 80 tonnes per year with biofuel switch

Latest initiative is part of efforts to reduce carbon footprint and waste to landfill by 20% by 2024 in line with its two-year green operations strategy

Dubai’s air and travel services provider dnata Group on Thursday said its brands dnata Logistics, Arabian Adventures, Alpha Flight Services and City Sightseeing have switched their vehicles to run on a biofuel blend, saving 80 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per year, equivalent to over 320,000 kilometres driven by an average petrol-powered car.

The company’s latest 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, it announced that it would invest US$100 million in green operations in two years to further enhance its environmental efficiency globally.

“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,” said Steve Allen, CEO of dnata Group.

Dnata Logistics switched 31 of its trucks to be run on a biofuel blend at its Dubai-based hub. Its trucks cover up to a total of 217,000 kilometres 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, providing elevated viewing of Dubai’s top attractions, through the use of 21 open-top, biofueled buses. These cover an average of 76,000 kilometres 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, 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 re-used within its vehicles. Research shows that 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 27,000 kilometres per month, supporting the company’s extensive 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.

Dnata has significantly invested in the electrification of its ground handling fleet across its global airport operations to reduce emissions, with more than 15 per cent of the company’s global fleet now electrified.

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