United Arab Emirate’s Dubai airports are introducing new baggage rules and this is not going to be a great news for Pakistani passengers who travel with baggage that comes under prohibited items. The airport is planing to introduce a new baggage rule from 8 March 2017. The airports claim this will help them to improve their service and reduce the risk of mishandling of baggage.
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The Vice President of Terminal Operations at Dubai International Ali Angizeh said in a statement that “Dubai International provides some of the most sophisticated baggage systems in the world. However, even the most technologically advanced systems can be disrupted by irregular shaped or oversized bags. Bags that are round or do not have a flat surface of any kind are by far the largest source of baggage jams. These jams can shut down sections of our system, delay baggage delivery to the aircraft and inconvenience our customers.”
So lets look at the new baggage rules?
1. No round bags
2. No bags without flat surface
3. No irregular shaped bags
4. No oversized bags
5. Bags that do not meet the criterion will have to be repacked in boxes for a fee
This means from 8 March, 2017 bags that do not fit in this criteria will be rejected at check in. All airlines flying into Dubai Airports are advised by the operator about the imminent change.
What if you end up at the airport in wrong shaped or size baggage?
The airport vice president said “passengers, who show up at the airport with non-compliant baggage, will also be given the option to have it repacked in boxes for a fee.”
Dubai baggage handling system is among the largest in the world. It stretches up to to 140 kilometres area. It has 15,000 trays and is powered by 21,000 motors. Dubai airport handled approximately 9.3 million bags in January this year. A bag spends an average of 29 minutes in the baggage system at Dubai airport.
Dubai based two airlines Emirates and Flydubai offer daily flights to different cities in Pakistan. While PIA, Shaheen air and Airblue offer daily flights from various cities of Pakistan to Dubai and all of them have to adjust with this new rule in matter of few days.