UAE’s marhaba expands into UK with premium airport assistance in Manchester
dnata aims to expand Arabian hospitality across global travel hubs
DUBAI – marhaba, dnata’s leading airport hospitality brand, has introduced its renowned Meet & Greet services at Manchester Airport, marking its debut in the United Kingdom.
The launch signals a new phase in marhaba’s international expansion, bringing personalised passenger assistance to one of the UK’s busiest airports. The service is designed to ease travel complexities, offering support for arriving, departing, or transiting passengers. This includes kerb-to-gate guidance, fast-track immigration and security, baggage handling, and optional porter services.
Manchester Airport serves more than 27 million passengers each year and experiences heavy demand during summer holidays, football events, conferences, and music festivals. marhaba’s entry is expected to address the increasing appetite for premium airport hospitality services in the region.
Surging global demand
The arrival of marhaba reflects a wider global trend as airport hospitality services, once limited to VIPs, are now being embraced by families, business travellers, and tourists. With airports becoming busier and more complex, demand for stress-free experiences is surging across international hubs.
First launched in the UAE in 1991, marhaba’s Meet & Greet services are now offered in eight countries across the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Australia, including major airports such as Dubai, Zurich and Sydney.
Clive Sauvé-Hopkins, CEO – Airport Operations at dnata, said: “Launching marhaba in the UK is part of our broader strategy to bring the warmth and care of Arabian hospitality to more travellers around the world. This expansion reinforces our focus on delivering a seamless airport experience that’s efficient, personal and consistently high quality.”
Stress-free journeys
Over the years, marhaba has extended its portfolio beyond Meet & Greet to include fast-track immigration clearance, baggage services, chauffeur-driven transfers, and private lounge access. In Dubai, the brand has also launched off-airport services such as Check In Anywhere and Land & Leave, enabling travellers to streamline their journey even before reaching the airport.
Through its global partnerships, marhaba customers can now access more than 400 lounges worldwide and book Meet & Greet services in multiple destinations. Travellers at Manchester can reserve the service directly via the official website.
marhaba and dnata
Founded in Dubai, marhaba – meaning “welcome” in Arabic – was created to make airport experiences smoother and more comfortable. Its services have grown in parallel with Dubai’s rise as a major global hub.
dnata, marhaba’s parent company, is a leading air and travel services provider established in 1959. Operating in over 30 countries across six continents, dnata’s teams handled 794,000 aircraft turns, moved 3.1 million tonnes of cargo, prepared 114 million meals, and recorded a travel services transaction value of US$ 2.6 billion in the financial year 2024-25.