18
June 2013
June 2013
UAE In Focus
UAE In Focus
Dubai enhances passenger experience with Smart Gates
Brigadier Obaid Muheir bin Surour (second from left) being briefed by German officials
T
he massive growth the UAE has seen as a tourist and business destination has been met in leaps and bounds by technological advances to immigration and passport control systems, driven by the vision and directives of the country’s leaders. That was the message Brigadier Obaid Muheir bin Surour, Deputy Director of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), Dubai, took with him to Germany, where he delivered a lecture, as part of a GDRFA delegation’s international tour recently. With Dubai Airport sighting an increase to 100 million pas-
sengers by 2020, bin Surour informed a gathering at the General Command of the German Federal Police (Bundespolizei) in Potsdam, near the German capital of Berlin, of the strategic shift witnessed by Dubai’s air, land and marine border agencies, to adopt electronic solutions to ease traffic flow coming into the UAE. “In the past years,” said bin Surour, “we faced major challenges created by the increase in the number of arrivals in Dubai. “However, we were up to these challenges and considered them an opportunity to move forward. We managed to prevail, thanks to the instructions and follow-up from Major
General Mohammad Ahmad Al Marri, Director General, GDRFA Dubai, as well as our firm belief in excellence and the importance of constantly upgrading our performance.” Accordingly, we increased the number of electronic gates at Dubai Airport from 10 to 100 within a few years. Moreover, we are currently commissioning smart gates that will contribute to a gigantic qualitative shift in managing the flow of passengers via passport checkpoints at Dubai Airport. They will be fully operational soon, he added. Bin Surour disclosed that Dubai Airport passport control
Dubai Airports wins MENA HR Excellence Awards had, in 2012, managed to stop more than 1,300 people who tried to enter the UAE with fake identification. This is due to the high level of experience that our passport officers have, and their ability to use state-of-the-art, highly advanced technologies in passport auditing, he said. Bin Surour also presented a detailed explanation of the Al Maktoum International Airport and its great potential, with an annual cargo capacity of 12 million tonnes and passenger capacity of 160 million. “We go forward speedily, with no stops, but also with no haste, to make use of all available opportunities and tackle all challenges,” he said. “For this goal, we implement the best electronic systems to facilitate the passage and entry of passengers through Dubai.” Simultaneously, we adopt the strictest security criteria to maintain the safety of the UAE. This entails giving intensive training courses to our passport officers and controllers to help them address the various challenges, he added. The estimated 65 million or more passengers in 2013 and 75 million in 2015 will make Dubai Airport the top airport in the world in terms of international passenger capacity. The delegation attended the 53rd meeting of IATA in Berlin to discuss immigration and airport security issues.
dnata acquires Italy’s Servair Airchef d
nata has announced the acquisition of the remaining 50 per cent of Servair Airchef in Italy, thereby taking over its total ownership. Servair Airchef has a presence in 23 airports including Rome, Milan and Venice. dnata’s subsidiary Alpha became a share-
holder of Servair Airchef in 2001. dnata is one of the world’s largest air services providers, offering ground and cargo handling, travel, technology solutions and in-flight catering. In-flight catering is one of dnata’s fastest growing business areas and acquisitions have
played a key role in the growth. Over the past two years, dnata has acquired stakes in three inflight catering companies. With a global catering presence in 64 airports, during the financial year 2011/12, dnata served over 50 million meals worldwide.
In the 53 years of dnata history, the financial year 201213 has been its most successful yet, coming on the back of very strong results in 2011-12. With an increase of 15 per cent over last year, dnata grew its revenue to AED6.6 billion (US$1.8 billion).
D
ubai Airports, operator of the world’s second busiest airport hub, has won the award for Best Employee Engagement at the 5th Annual GCC HR Excellence Awards 2011. The company’s Vice President of Learning & Development, Samya Ketait, was recognised as the HR Professional of the Year (public sector). The HR Excellence Awards recognise and reward individuals and organisations that have made outstanding and innovative contributions to the successful development of HR in the region. The Best Employee Engagement award honours an organisation for specifically focusing on engaging employees through activities related to CSR, teambuilding, training and development, and employee recognition among others. The HR Professional of the Year award is given to an employee who has played an important role in promoting
Dubai Airports officials displaying the awards
a people-centric culture, implementation of innovative programmes, engagement of employees in CSR activities and a focus on the overall well-being of staff. Jill Nealon, Senior VP of Human Resources and Development at Dubai Airports, said: “We are very pleased to have won the awards because they are given in recognition of ex-
Expo 2020 to bring job bonanza
A
report by Oxford Economics shows that Dubai Expo 2020 would support over 277,000 jobs. A total of 77,149 jobs would be created between 2013 and 2021, 40 per cent of which would be within the travel and tourism sector. The report estimates that 90 per cent of the projected 277,149 employment opportunities would occur from 2018 to 2021 with the ramp up to Expo 2020 and the demand generated by the 25 million expected visitors. Of the 90 per cent, 147,000 jobs would be created in the travel and tourism sector, indicating the significant potential to convert a high percentage into permanent jobs to serve the expanded economy in the post-Expo period. The report said for every Expo
employee approximately 60 additional jobs will be sustained across other parts of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) economy. Her Excellency Reem Al Hashemi, UAE Minister of State and Managing Director of the UAE’s Higher Committee for Hosting the 2020 World Expo, said: “Dubai Expo 2020 will leave a lasting legacy not only in the UAE but also beyond its borders.” As our theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ suggests, Dubai Expo 2020 aims to welcome the world to collaborate and build partnerships for sustainable development. In that, Dubai Expo 2020 will spur significant employment, trade and investment opportunities for the entire Menasa region, she added.
cellence in human resource development and management, which is universally recognised as being at the very core of any organisation’s success. That we won at both the organisation and individual categories is especially satisfying.” The awards event was hosted as part of the 8th Human Assets Expansion Middle East Summit held in Dubai from May 21 to 23.
Dubai’s BCI remains strong
B
usinesses in Dubai are confident of growth trends continuing to the second quarter of 2013, according to a survey conducted by Dubai’s Department of Economic Development (DED). The Business Confidence Index (BCI) stood at 113 points during the first quarter of 2013. The survey showed that 86 per cent of the businesses are upbeat on sales and profits. Overall business expectations are on an upward trend with 91 per cent of firms reporting either improvement or stability in business conditions in the second quarter of 2013. The survey reveals robust expectations, with 55 per cent of businesses expecting higher sales revenues and another 30 per cent stable sales in the second quarter of 2013. About 80 per cent of respondents expect prices to remain largely stable.
UAE: A major hub for intercontinental travel
A
new study, based on accurate air passenger volume for origins and destinations (O&D) worldwide, has revealed that the UAE serves as the point of origin for 23.1 million passengers. The analytical study of the Middle East’s travel market by Amadeus showed the UAE enjoys a commanding 23 per cent of the regional market share in terms of intercontinental travel in 2012. Antoine Medawar, VicePresident, Middle East and North Africa, Amadeus, underlined the relevance of the data, said passengers began their intercontinental journey in the UAE (15.7 million passengers flown), than they did combined in Saudi Arabia (7.8 million
passengers flown) and in Qatar (2.8 million passengers flown). The UAE has the highest ratio of intercontinental travellers (68 per cent) versus passengers travelling within the country and departing from there to other destinations within the region (32 per cent). The analysis also highlights Dubai-London as the top route. In terms of regional traffic, the UAE was the most used point of origin for the 7.2 million travellers who flew within the region, followed by Saudi Arabia, which served as the point of origin for 6.1 million travellers within the region. In the UAE market, low-cost carriers commands 23 per cent of the share of traffic in 2012.
19