Tag Archives: Dubai Airports

Dubai Airports, operator of Dubai International (DXB), the world’s busiest international airport, and Dubai World Central (DWC), has announced the appointment of three key roles within the organisation: Omar Binadai as Executive Vice President – Technology and Infrastructure, Essa Al Shamsi as Senior Vice President – Terminal Operations, and Moataz Roushdy as Senior Vice President – Finance. The move reflects Dubai Airports’ commitment to developing and growing its people and to enable the leaders of the future to progress their careers within the organisation. This is indicative of our focus on strong recovery from the pandemic and readiness and planning to capitalise on anticipated future growth opportunities. Omar Binadai, Executive Vice President – Technology and Infrastructure – With the growing impact that technology now has on infrastructure, and the two fast becoming inseparable, Omar has been tasked to lead the transformation of Dubai Airports’ technology solutions and ongoing maintenance and improvements to its critical infrastructure. A technology industry veteran with over two decades of experience in the sector, Omar has delivered verifiable business growth and success over the years and has strengthened relationships with key partners and stakeholders. Essa Al Shamsi, Senior Vice President – Terminal Operations – As an entity that considers itself to be in the business of hospitality, this role with its focus on customer service and hospitality, is the major point of difference for our competitors. Essa Al Shamsi’s  appointment as SVP, Terminal Operations marks the increased importance Dubai Airports places on the delivery of world class customer service and operational efficiency. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, Essa Al Shamsi will play a pivotal role within the team in the transformation of Dubai Airports’ guest …

Dubai Airports has announced that it will reopen Dubai’s International’s Terminal 1 and Concourse D on June 24. The facilities were closed on March 25, 2020 following the partial suspension of operations at DXB as part of the strategy to control the spread of Covid-19. Welcoming the reopening of Terminal 1 as an important step in preparing to accommodate the anticipated growth in travel demand in the coming weeks and months, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airports said,  “Dubai’s aviation sector has been at the forefront of a global campaign to restore vital international air services with the opening of quarantine-free travel corridors between the UAE and multiple countries around the world. This move signals our confidence that the outlook for the rest of the year and beyond is one of optimism, as well as being a clear indication of Dubai’s intent to lead the aviation industry in its efforts to enable social and economic recovery of the world. This reopening is a collaborative effort of the many stakeholders involved in the operation of the world’s largest international airport and we are delighted to be able to make this important step towards the restoration of full airport operations.” The reopening of the facilities will enable the gradual return of 40 plus international carriers that are currently operating at Terminals 2 and 3 back to their home terminal at DXB. Dubai Airports has advised passengers to confirm their terminal of departure and arrival with their airline prior to coming to the airport as the transition will be managed in several stages, with the plan for the relocation to be completed by the end of June. …

Dubai Airports welcomed the resumption of scheduled operations by foreign carriers at Dubai International (DXB). A total of 13 international airlines resumed scheduled flights this week as Dubai opened its skies and arms to tourists effective July 7. Airlines resuming operations at DXB include Air Blue, Air France, Cebu Pacific, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines, Gulf Air, KLM, Lufthansa, Mahan Air, Middle East Airlines, Pakistan International Airlines, Philippine Airlines and Royal Jordanian with more expected to join later. In addition to foreign carriers, DXB-based Emirates airline and flydubai have boosted their schedules. “We have ensured everything is in place to welcome airlines from around the world back to Dubai as a growing number of bilateral agreements between countries conclude to facilitate the opening of borders and the gradual return of traffic,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports. “Our ability to resume passenger operations has been enabled by the significant and early steps the UAE government took to tackle the threat of the spread of the virus, together with the robust health and safety measures in place at DXB, and the excellent advanced healthcare services available here in Dubai. We remain in close discussions with government officials and airlines to support the resumption of additional services as approvals are granted in the weeks and months ahead. The message is that we are ready to welcome visitors back to Dubai and we will do our utmost to take care of them whilst they are here” As services resume passengers are being advised to always confirm their terminal of departure and arrival with their airline prior to coming to the airport as some carriers may have temporarily changed terminals.

The Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management announced its decision to start welcoming visitors and tourists from overseas beginning July 7, 2020. The new decisions are supported by protocols and preventive measures aimed at safeguarding the health and wellbeing of all passengers travelling into or out of Dubai Airports. The Committee said the marked progress achieved by the emirate in combating the virus with strict precautionary measures implemented at national and local levels has earned it worldwide praise. Dubai’s rapid response to the global pandemic combined with the concerted efforts of the government and private sector and the commitment of the community have helped significantly reduce the spread of the virus.

Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports confirmed that while the airport operator is taking appropriate measures to control costs, optimise liquidity, facilitate cargo and repatriation flights and prepare for a timely and proportionate activation of facilities and services at Dubai International (DXB) to support the resumption of scheduled traffic, the timing and the speed of air traffic recovery will ultimately depend on the development of a vaccine or treatment for COVID-19. “The COVID-19 pandemic is of a very different nature than any previous crisis in that it has affected supply, demand and health security and by extension the entire global economy,” said Griffiths. “We’re dealing with a monster here for which we clearly have to find a solution. Until there is a proven level of confidence medically that people can travel without fear of spreading or contracting the virus, the situation we find ourselves in is likely to continue.” “Until a medical solution is found, the industry will rely on bilateral agreements that enable the resumption of services. We will gradually start to see some confidence build between trusted countries where the governments have acted significantly enough and early enough to get the spread of the virus under control,” said Griffiths. “In the short term, until we get a medical and technical solution, we will have robust measures in place. And while we will all have to practice social distancing in the near term, the idea of social distancing as a permanent part of society would be so socially and economically destructive it would simply not be sustainable. We’re looking at an 18 month to two-year time frame but that is highly dependent upon the development of an effective treatment or …

Dubai Airports confirmed the safe and smooth launch of repatriation flights for Indian citizens from Dubai International’s Terminal 2 with the coordinated efforts of UAE authorities, the Indian Embassy in the UAE, airlines and other Dubai Airports’ service partners. All repatriation flights to India will be operated from Terminal 2 by India’s national carriers Air India and Air India Express until further notice. Dubai Airports has taken a number of steps to ensure the health and safety of airport staff and passengers during repatriation operations. Apart from the recently completed deep cleaning and sterilisation exercise spanning the entire facility, social distancing measures including signage, floor stickers and separated seating areas, have been implemented across DXB. Check-in counters and immigration desks have been fitted with Perspex screens to provide additional safety for staff, who are also required to wear personal protective equipment. Entry to the terminal is strictly limited to ticketed passengers carrying valid documents and wearing personal protective equipment. As part of the new pre-check-in procedure all passengers will receive thermal screening and/or a rapid antibody test, conducted by Dubai Health Authority’s Airport Medical Centre team. Dubai Airports has appealed to family and friends of passengers to help the repatriation operation and the fight against COVID-19 by saying their good-byes at home and avoid crowding at the airport.

Dubai Airports is working closely with its aviation and commercial partners and is planning for a gradual remobilisation once travel restrictions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic are lifted. Under a business stabilisation framework, aviation partners, tenants and concessionaires have been provided with details of an assistance programme agreed by Dubai Airports. Dubai Airports has responded decisively to the COVID-19 crisis and is among the first airport operators to propose meaningful assistance to airline and commercial partners. The programme, which is applicable for the impacted period March 1, 2020 to May 31, 2020, includes waiving 100 per cent of minimum guarantees or equivalent fees for partners who have been required to cease trading due to the suspension of airport operations caused by the global pandemic. For partners that have maintained partial operations, other measures are in place to address the reduction in aviation activity, including rescheduling and other financial adjustments. “Flexibility is more important now than ever,” said Eugene Barry, Executive Vice President of Commercial at Dubai Airports. “Of paramount importance is that we protect and retain our aviation and business partnerships, which have been carefully built over a number of years, and ensure that our revenue and service drivers will be in a position to remobilise, in line with approvals from federal authorities. We have taken a number of unprecedented measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 to our own business, as well as those of our partners. By providing clarity and meaningful assistance to our business partners at this moment, we are confident that we will re-emerge to continue delivering the highest levels of assurance and service in a new commercial landscape, in which DXB and DWC will play …

Upping the ante on enhancing the customer experience at Dubai International (DXB), operator Dubai Airports has launched a high-tech system that monitors airport operations in real-time and visualises traffic flows to support consistently smooth operations at the world’s busiest airport. realtimeDXB, a bespoke cloud-based platform, gathers data generated by more than 50 operational systems, including those of Dubai Airports and its many service partners. It uses this information to keep all operational teams involved aware of not only the current scenarios but also developing situations anywhere from airfield to kerbside to anticipate challenges more accurately, facilitate greater collaboration between service partners, and quick decision-making. “As a system that makes key operational information visible in real-time to all service partners involved in the day-to-day running of the airport, realtimeDXB is a major step forward in our journey to develop common situational awareness. This system will be instrumental in the implementation of new concepts of airport operations such as Airport Collaborative Decision Making (ACDM) and Total Airport Management,” said Damian Ellacott, Vice President of the Airport Operations Control Centre (AOCC), at Dubai Airports. “By increasing the flow of traffic, realtimeDXB system essentially adds capacity to a hub that’s located in the middle of the city and does not have the luxury to keep expanding its physical infrastructure,” said Lloyd Gozzett, Vice President of Customer Success at Dubai Airports. The use of real-time information and advanced smart gates is already helping enhance customer experience at DXB. In Q1 of 2019, the airport reduced customer wait-times by 30 per cent as a direct result of these systems.

Dubai Airports and China Eastern celebrated the arrival of the carrier’s inaugural flight from Qingdao to Dubai at Dubai International (DXB) on Saturday evening. The thrice weekly service is an important addition to China Eastern’s existing flights connecting DXB to Shanghai and Kunming, and the first ever to connect DXB to Qingdao, a major port city of 9 million population located on China’s Yellow Sea coast. China Eastern will operate three flights per week between the two cities, offering customers greater connectivity and convenience. A top trading partner of the UAE, China is a major contributor to DXB’s traffic with more than 3.5 million travellers in 2018. China is also one of the fastest growing countries in terms of volume of visitors to Dubai with numbers growing 12 per cent to 857,000 in 2018. A total of five airlines, including China Eastern, connect Dubai to 10 destinations across China on 81 weekly flights.

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, Dubai will be hosting the first Accessible Tourism International Summit from November 5 to 6 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC). Supported by the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing as Destination Partner, the first edition of the summit will be held under the theme of “making all cities friendly for tourists with disabilities” and aims at highlighting the challenges faced by about one billion People with Disabilities during their travel as visitors or tourists to cities around the world. The summit will also discuss the necessity to strengthen the legislations, laws, infrastructure and services catering to the needs of tourists with disabilities and their aspirations to explore the world with ease. “The UAE has done a great deal on its course to achieve its vision of becoming a friendly country for People with Disabilities. This summit falls within this framework and aims to share insights, experiences and best practices and translate these into a concrete practice bound to enable over one billion people to reach their destination with ease,” said His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Patron of the summit. Dubai is working hard to achieve its vision of becoming a friendly city for people with disabilities by 2020, with all concerned entities in the Emirate working to achieve this goal by implementing the relevant laws and regulations in place and adapting smart solutions to provide the best services for this segment, especially with Dubai targeting 25 million tourists in 2025. …