Covid-19: Tourists start flying to Dubai for a safe holiday

Dubai - Close to 100,000 passengers will be arriving in Dubai on Emirates flights for the summer holidays.

This summer season is expected to be one of the busiest yet at Dubai International Airport (DXB) — as the emirate promises a safe holiday to tourists that have started flying in from around the world.

As Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, revealed last week, the emirate has inspired the global tourism recovery after overcoming the challenges wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic. Dubai, he said, has set the benchmarks for precautionary protocols, making the city one of the world’s safest destinations for travellers.

Close to 100,000 passengers will be arriving in Dubai on Emirates flights for the summer holidays. And the airline is expecting more than 450,000 passengers to travel from, to and through Terminal 3.

According to dnata, over the months of June, July and August, they would have handled a whopping 6,300 flights into DXB, from all around the world.

This means that DXB, one of the busiest airports in the world, will be handling a flight every 21 minutes, on average.

Travel agents also believe that this will be one of the busiest summers yet for in-bound air traffic to Dubai.

“There is demand for outbound travel, especially during Eid. But this summer will also see more tourists coming to Dubai. And the numbers will increase exponentially as we head to Expo 2020,” a travel agent said.

“The phenomenal response is largely because of the safety and security offered by the UAE and Dubai. The vaccination rate is high in the UAE and Dubai and tourists feel safe in such an environment,” he added.

Dnata revealed that 8,500 staff members have been assigned to provide services to 85 airlines and their passengers across three terminals — including the recently reopened Terminal 1.

The number of staff required for a flight depends on the size of the aircraft, but to put it in perspective, it takes about 16 people to handle a Boeing 737, while the A380 super jumbo requires at least 52 people. It also involves the turnaround to ensure that the aeroplane is ready for its next journey, for its next group of passengers, as well as baggage and cargo.

“Although it may take longer than originally predicted, we have no doubts that international travel will return,” said Jaffar Dawood, dnata’s senior vice-president for DXB Airline Services.

“People will travel to see their friends and families for the first time in years; businesses will once again meet across borders to collaborate; and explorers will return to discovering the world.

“With our dedicated team, we are prepared to help all individuals and businesses safely reconnect across the world through Dubai and our other hubs by consistently delivering best-in-class services for them at every stage of their journey,” Dawood said.

Safety at DXB

>Dnata has been working in close partnership with DXB in terms of passenger safety, right from check-in to boarding.

>Protective barriers have been installed at the check-in counters

>Waiting areas have been expanded

>Boarding agents, wearing PPE kits, ensure that boarding is done in limited numbers

>Extensive cleaning and disinfection are being done as part of in-cabin services

>Social distancing is strictly observed for other airport services like marhaba

Must know

>100,000 passengers will be arriving in Dubai on Emirates flights for the summer holidays

>1 flight every 21 minutes is being handled by DXB on average

james@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai