Dubai floods and airport passenger experience

The experience in Dubai airport in recent weeks is a call to aviation in Africa not just to take a second look at their scenario and contingency plans, but also that Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria are becoming more appealing to investors as a means of evaluating performance and to avoid investing in companies that might pose a greater financial risk from unsustainable or unethical practices.

Dubai Airports, ahead of its recovery schedule, returned to its normal flight schedule and had gone back to operating around 1400 flight movements a day, so say reports. This is one of the busiest airports in the world for international travels.This happened one week after unprecedented torrential rain was experienced by the United Arab Emirates. Tens of thousands of air passengers were stranded at the Dubai Airport as it had become waterlogged and it was impossible to move from or towards the airport. The unprecedented floods had turned roads into massive rivers.

As a result of the flood which came after the heaviest rainfall the UAE had experienced in 75 years, it was reported that 2155 flights were cancelled and 115 were diverted. As evidence of their preparedness they had succeeded in record time to clear roads in and around the airport of water accumulation one hundred percent, and manpower, logistics and facilities had begun operating as usual.

The airport admitted that the flood was the most challenging adverse weather event they had had to navigate. It was the heaviest recorded rainfall ever to hit the desert nation. The airport worked to restore normal operations, though flood water still covered portions of major highways and roads.

The airport and partners were reported to have worked tirelessly to keep the operation of the airport running as well as assist their guests. They made the welfare of guests their priority throughout the disruption. Despite the initial challenges in transporting supplies in the face of road closures, over 75,000 food packs were delivered to two different locations namely, Dubai Airports and Dubai World Central.

Leveraging on technology, the airport in a series of tweets was reported to have said: “Flights continue to be delayed and disrupted, so we urge you to only come to Terminal 1 if you have a confirmed booking.” It had allowed global carriers on Thursday morning after the storm had hit them on Tuesday, to again fly into terminal 1. Then later Thursday, there was a post on social media that the airport’s Terminal 3 was also reopening for flight check-in. It however warned passengers to come only if their pending departure was confirmed due to “a high volume of guests in the check-in area.” Again, later that Thursday the Dubai government’s media office quoted the Dubai International Airport’s chief operating officer as saying that the facility would “return to its full operational capacity within 24 hours.”

This attests to the existence not just of an operationally ready emergency operations centre, but also that there had been mock exercises and each member of the airport community knew their role and kept to it.

Emirates, the long haul carrier, had found operations challenging due to the storm on Tuesday. It had stopped that Tuesday travellers flying out of UAE from checking into their flights while they focused attention on moving out connecting passengers. It was also challenging for pilots and flight crews, from reports, to reach the airport due to the water on roadways. However, on Thursday, the order was lifted so that customers were allowed into the airport. Arriving passengers however described the long hours they had to wait at the airport to get their baggage. Some gave up waiting and headed home or to whichever hotel they could find.

The aviation industry, which includes airports, faces a dual challenge of not only meeting the growing demand for air travel but also facing the concerns related to climate change and sustainability. So they should  look forward to adopting innovative solutions, investing in sustainable practices, and prioritising passenger experience. These will help airports work towards a more environmentally friendly and socially responsible future.

As private capital is expected to be increasingly channelled into airports in Africa, there are lessons to learn from the Dubai Airport passenger experience management as well as their emergency operations management plan.

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