Christmas rush: Dubai International Airport braces for 7 million flyers

Almost 7 million flyers, serpentile queues, long immigration waits – that is likely going to be the picture of The Dubai International Airport for the month of December. This is undoubtedly the busiest month for Dubai International Airport.

 

The airport authorities have come up with some plans to avoid any kind of mishaps during this Christmas season. They are expecting a record number of passengers during this holiday season. Most of it they are expecting on December 16, 17 and 22.

 

Schools and colleges remain closed from the middle of December usually. Thus people residing in Dubai embark on holiday ventures mostly. And people from around the world also visit Dubai during this time of the year. The expatriates also travel back home.

 

Senior vice president of communication and reputation at Dubai Airports, Anita Mehra, has assured that they are going to raise the number of staff levels and employ new passenger flow monitoring technology that allows the authorities to deploy staff to areas where the passenger concentration is higher.

 

Immigration time will also be reduced to 10 to 15 seconds when there will be long queues.

 

To avoid any kind of commotion, Dubai airport authorities have come up with some smart travel tips for the passengers:

•    Be sure to check which airport and terminal you are departing from/arriving into beforehand. Passengers can confirm with their airline or check in the official website of Dubai Airport.

 
•    Arrive early at the airport. It is best to leave a minimum of three hours for check-in and passport control. Take into consideration daily rush hours and available routes in calculating your commuting time to the airport. 
 

•    Leave extra time for your journey to the airport as the roads will be very busy. Please say your goodbyes at home.
 

•    Check with the airline in advance for information on your baggage allowance. Irrespective of the allowance, a single unit of baggage weighing more than 32kgs will not be accepted at check-in. You should expect to be charged for baggage more than the limit set by your respective airline.
 

•    It is always simpler to pack liquids, aerosols and gels (LAGs) in your check-in baggage. However, if you must carry LAGs in your hand luggage, make sure they are in a clear re-sealable plastic bag. Each item should not be more than 100ml and the total content of all items should not be more than one litre. 
 

•    Beat the queues by checking-in online or using the self-service check-in kiosks in the departures hall. Customers with baggage can make use of the quick-baggage drop counters, while those carrying only hand luggage can proceed directly to Immigration. 
 

•    Remember to put anything metal – watch, jewellery, mobile phone, coins, belt – into your hand luggage well before you arrive at the X-ray machine. This will save time at security screening.
 

•    UAE residents are encouraged to use Emirates ID cards at any smart gate which helps avoid queuing at passport control, both while arriving and on departure.