The former head of Emirates SkyCargo, Nabil Sultan is set to become Chief Executive Officer of dnata from 15 June 2026, marking a significant leadership transition at the global ground handling and aviation services provider owned by the Emirates Group.
The appointment follows a long career within the group for Nabil Sultan, who most recently served as Executive Vice President for Passenger Sales and Country Management at Emirates.
Prior to that, he led the airline’s cargo division for more than a decade as Divisional Senior Vice President of Emirates SkyCargo, one of the carrier’s key global freight operations.
The current dnata Chief Executive, Steve Allen, will step down from the role. He has held the position since March 2021, overseeing a period of continued recovery and expansion across dnata’s global ground handling, cargo and travel businesses.
Allen has been with the Emirates Group since 2009, holding senior operational roles across ground services, cargo handling and airport hospitality in the United Arab Emirates.
From 2016, he was responsible for dnata’s airport operations and cargo services in the UAE, before taking on leadership of the company’s global travel division in 2020, where he drove its international transformation strategy.
Before joining the group, he spent 16 years with British Airways in commercial, operational and financial roles.
The leadership change comes at a sensitive time for the aviation sector and for Emirates Group operations, amid ongoing disruption affecting Middle East airspace and global supply chains linked to regional instability.
Between 1995 and 2008, he held leadership positions spanning the UK, India, West Asia, the Gulf and Europe, before being appointed in 2009 as Divisional Senior Vice President for Revenue Optimisation and Distribution.
His appointment signals continuity within the Emirates Group’s internal leadership pipeline as dnata continues to expand its global footprint across ground handling, cargo logistics and travel services.