dnata announced that it has received the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) accreditation for the safe and compliant handling of lithium batteries.

This ensures that the company meets safety standards and regulatory requirements in the handling of potentially hazardous materials.

dnata said it began seeking IATA's CEIV lithium battery programme in April 2023 and less than 12 months later, it has become the first ground services provider to certify 11 of its worldwide stations, which all took part in a comprehensive audit process.

It noted that the company's stations in Australia and Pakistan were the first to complete the assessment phase, followed by Singapore, Belgium, the UK, and the UAE.

"We are pleased to achieve IATA's CEIV Lithium Battery accreditation, a testament to our commitment to safety and compliance. This recognition underscores our ongoing efforts to maintain the highest standards in the handling of dangerous goods, ensuring the safety of our operations and the satisfaction of our customers," said Guillaume Crozier, dnata's senior vice president, UAE Cargo and Global Cargo Strategy.

For his part, Brendan Sullivan, IATA's Global Head of Cargo noted the importance of the certification as the volume of air shipments containing lithium batteries is rising.

"Ensuring these items are transported safely and efficiently is a top priority for the industry," he said. "Key to this is complying with regulatory changes and the integration of best practices in lithium battery handling across the supply chain. This is why CEIV Lithium Batteries was established."

"We commend dnata for being the first Ground Handling Agent to achieve CEIV lithium battery certification across its network of 11 hubs. This accomplishment not only benefits dnata's customers by guaranteeing their shipments are handled with utmost efficiency and safety, but also sets a quality benchmark for the industry," Sullivan added.

In recent years, dnata has significantly invested in training and process improvement to further enhance safety and improve efficiency in the handling of dangerous goods.

It said that in 2021, it became the first global air services provider to adopt IATA’s Dangerous Goods Autocheck (DG Autocheck) platform for the acceptance of dangerous goods shipments.

In December 2023, dnata was further accredited with IATA’s Corporate Certification for Competency-based Training and Assessment (CBTA) for Dangerous Goods.

In the financial year 2022-23, dnata's customer-oriented teams handled over 710,000 aircraft turns, moved over 2.7 million tonnes of cargo, among others.