Travellers safety discussion between GDRFA and IATA

The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai organized a virtual seminar on the best safe global practices in the traveller's journey to limit the spread of (Covid-19) in cooperation with the International Air Transport Association for Africa and the Middle East (IATA) remotely via the visual call feature in which participated 450 employees of GDRFA Dubai and a number of employees of the federal authorities for identity and citizenship in the country, during which Brigadier Talal Ahmed Al-Shanqati, Assistant Director General for Airports Passport Affairs in GDRFA Dubai spoke with the participation of experts from members of the (IATA) team Mrs. Rima Tayah, the regional Director of Strategic Relations in Amman, Mr. Khaled Al-Essawi, Director of the Gulf and Near East Region in Abu Dhabi, Mr. Kashef Khaled, Regional Director of the Airport, Passengers, Shipping and Security in Amman and Dubai, and Mr. Muhammad Al-Mansour, Regional Director of Passenger Experience and Facilities in Amman. The seminar is organized with the aim of seeking the opinions of experts from the International Air Transport Association for the African and Middle East region ( IATA) which is considered a connection between the global airlines representing about 290 airlines or 82% of the total air traffic, which also supports the aviation sector and helps formulate policies related to important aviation issues, as it comes with the aim of implementing the directives of the wise leadership and senior management at GDRFA Dubai and to train the front row employees to deal with crisis and disaster situations. The seminar dealt with international best practices from accredited bodies in the field of safety procedures during the traveller's flight and safety procedures for passport officials, as well as the most important challenges facing the revival of air traffic and the impact of the Coronavirus on the air transport sector in the UAE and the most important criteria for testing the Corona virus during the travel trip. At the beginning of the seminar, Brigadier General Talal Ahmed Al-Shanqati, Assistant Director-General for Airports Passport Affairs welcomed the participants and thanked the IATA team for their continuous cooperation and active participation that allowed us to learn about the best global safe practices in the traveller's journey, and how to limit the spread of the (Covid-19) virus among travellers and passport officials, as this information will be poured into improving entry and exit processes to the UAE and therefrom appreciating their efforts in developing air transport services and their keenness to make flying safer and more peaceful while facing the changing conditions the world is going through as a result of the pandemic. Brigadier General Al-Shanqati stressed the importance of holding such meetings and benefiting therefrom in dealing with crises, given their great importance in the scope of work of the GDRFA Dubai through the ports of the Emirate of Dubai. “ The circumstances we are going through during this pandemic have made us face great challenges threatening the security and safety of air transport locally and internationally including entry and exit operations at the passport control point at Dubai airports, which gave us the opportunity to highlight our best practices to address all challenges and ensure business continuity, adding that the front-row employees at Dubai International Airports are qualified to deal with crisis situations and disasters and take all necessary precautionary measures to ensure their safety and the safety of travellers. On her part, Mrs. Rima Al-Tayyeh, the Regional Director for Strategic Relations in Amman and a member of the (IATA) teams discussed the impact of the crisis on the aviation sector and the indicators related to the virus on the air transport sector in the UAE and the Gulf countries in terms of the impact on the proportion of passengers and the overall jobs and on the Airlines departments and compared them to last year. Mrs Rima reviewed as well a poll on the traveller and the virus, which included 11 countries around the world in three stages from the beginning of the impact of the crisis on the first of last February until the end of June. The survey included 4,700 passengers who travelled recently, and the survey focused on several questions including anxiety about travelling for fear of the virus which severity was last April and then it began to descend gradually, and the second was about the most concerns associated with the virus while travelling and the highest response rate was the fear of being in a bus or a crowded train while on the way to the plane and sitting next to someone who had been affected by the virus on the plane, and the last question was about the measures that create a feeling of safety for the passenger , the highest rate of answers was testing the traveller for the Coronavirus upon departure, wearing masks in airports and planes by travellers, and social distancing on the plane . She also tackled the most important challenges facing the revitalization of aviation traffic and how to control and reduce risks related to safety and health security for all individuals and travellers, and the extent to which aviation public health measures are in line with international civil aviation. Khaled Al-Issawi, Director of the Gulf and Near East Region in Abu Dhabi and a member of the IATA team, discussed 4 main themes , the first of which is aviation safety for all aviation sectors in terms of safety procedures followed and their impact on airlines, and the second is about public health and safety and procedures established for maintaining the security, safety and health of travellers, as well as airports and all parties, and the third revolved around security, facilities and procedures followed by the responsible authorities to facilitate the entry and exit of travellers in a smooth process, while the fourth theme revolved around the economic measures followed to preserve the economic sector. He also addressed the criteria for testing the Coronavirus during travelling and the procedures taken at the airport and boarding the plane in a way that ensures physical distancing and the procedures followed during the flight to the airport. At the end of the seminar, the speakers discussed with the participants a set of questions revolving around the issue of security and safety measures taken at the world's airports as well as the period for recovery in the air transport sector.