Dnata wants to run Kabul airport

"We can confirm Kabul is one of the locations we are looking at as we continue our international expansion,” a Dnata spokesperson said in a report by Gulf News.

But Dnata did not give a timeframe on when the deal could materialise, as negotiations about several proceedings are still ongoing. When asked, Emirates Group spokesperson Helen Ward did not give more details.

It is understood that Dnata, at the moment, is assessing the features of Kabul's newly-constructed international airport wing, which was built in 2006 with Japanese assistance and opened in November 2008.

Currently, seven airlines are flying on international routes from Kabul: state carrier Ariana, privately owned Kam Air, Pamir Airways and Safi Airways as well as Indian Airlines and Pakistan International Airlines. Passenger movement is projected to reach 100,000 annually by 2011, not counting traffic on the nearby military airport.

Dnata took the first step into the Afghan market in January 2009 when it opened a travel shop in the capital Kabul, offering a "full range of travel services" and especially targeting government travel management for more than 20 UN organisations currently active in the country.

Dnata is partnering with UK-based travel specialist Hogg Robinson Group in Kabul.

Dnata, 100% owned by the Dubai government, claims to be the largest provider of aviation services in the Gulf. It started its international expansion in 1993 by entering Pakistan, moving on to the Philippines, Singapore, Australia, Switzerland and China.