The Cabinet has approved the award of SriLankan Airlines’ ground and cargo handling contracts at Dubai International Airport to Dnata at a combined cost of AED 40.64 million, the Government Information Department said on Wednesday.
The passenger and ground handling services contract is valued at AED 33.04 million and runs for three years from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2029. A separate cargo handling contract, valued at AED 7.6 million, runs from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2029.
Both awards followed recommendations by the Bid Evaluation Committee and the Higher Level Procurement Committee. The previous passenger handling agreement lapsed on March 31, 2026, while the existing cargo agreement is due to expire on June 30, 2026 — the gap that the new contracts fill.
Dnata, headquartered in Dubai, is one of the world’s largest air services providers and operates across more than 100 airports. It is a subsidiary of the Emirates Group owned by the Investment Corporation of Dubai.
Dubai is a significant hub for SriLankan, which operates multiple daily services to the airport and uses it for onward connections across the Gulf. The airline’s fares on West Asia routes have climbed as much as 150 percent during the current regional crisis, and Sri Lanka has joined airlines in Europe pressing for interventions on jet fuel supply.
The decision comes as the same cabinet meeting approved a methodology for inter-provincial bus permits and revisions to the national housing policy.
