Dnata, one of the world's largest air services providers, will begin construction on a new cargo terminal at Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central (DWC) in the second quarter of 2015, said a top official.

The terminal is in the final design stage and is likely to have an annual capacity of between 1 and 1.6 million tonnes, Jon Conway, senior vice president — UAE airport operations, was quoted as saying in a Gulf News report.

The terminal will have an initial capacity of 500,000 tonnes a year and the construction is targeted for completion by the end of 2016, he added.

Dnata will be spending around Dh20 million ($5.4 million) for ground support equipment and lounge development for Dubai International’s new Concourse D, Conway was quoted in the report.

The terminal will be used to handle cargo from other airlines landing at DWC, the report said.