Dubai Customs Glamorously Receives The First Flight of Fly Dubai

Dubai Customs has celebrated the arrival of the first flight of Fly Dubai heading from Beirut on June 1st, 2009 through Terminal 2 at Dubai International Airport.Mr. Ali Al Mugahwi, Airport Operations Director in Dubai Customs, Mr. Humaid Mohammed Al Rashid, Acting Airport Terminal (2) Manager and a big number of Dubai Customs employees and customs inspectors have received the passengers with desserts and souvenirs. In addition, passengers were well-received in the offices and clearance counters of this new national airline.Passengers have expressed their pleasure for being glamorously received which has brought satisfaction into them and in particular into their children. They stated that this is not a surprise as UAE nationals are well-known for their hospitality and generosity as well as their sophisticated behavior in treating visitors and expatriatesMr. Ali Al Mugahwi said:" Following a good example of what is currently happening with Emirates Airline in Terminal (3) at Dubai International Airport, Dubai Customs has been taking necessary measures to receive Fly Dubai flights with qualified staffs and clearance offices specified for the passengers of Fly Dubai flights"."There is a great coordination and collaboration taking place between Dubai Customs on one hand and the Department of Civil Aviation and Dubai Airports Corporation on the other hand, regarding facilitating procedures of finishing passengers’ papers to cope with the cultural and economical prosperity that Dubai witnesses as well as the good reputation it enjoys on the tourism and international traveling levels. Necessary steps have been taken to meet the growth of Fly Dubai flights and the terminals of which these flights will land on over the upcoming period of time. The Department’s offices pioneer facilitation and customs work to passengers throughout more than 35 airline companies that are currently using Terminal (2)", Mr. Ali Al Mugahwi added.

Travellers Vote Dubai International As Middle East’s Best Airport

Dubai International has been voted as the Middle East’s best airport by readers of Business Traveller, the internationally acclaimed travel magazine, in a survey for 2009. The readers also voted Dubai International as the Best Airport in the Middle East for Duty Free Shopping.

The award in the best airport category is given based on excellence in delivery of customer service, particularly in areas such as baggage delivery, check-in, and frontline services. Airport facilities and duty-free shopping are some of the major factors that play a role in the voting for the awards. Survey forms are included in Business Traveller magazine and sent to all regional subscribers, a large percentage of which turns them in with their choice.

In the world’s best airport category, Dubai International finished second only to Singapore’s Changi Airport, the winner this year.

This is the fourth consecutive year that Dubai International has won the region’s best airport award. Dubai International has won over 14 regional and international awards between 2008 and 2009 – nearly triple the number of awards in the preceding year, and the highest in a year to date.

"At Dubai Airports, we aspire to be the world’s best airport in every sense, but most of all in the quality of our customer service. While all awards and recognitions evoke a sense of pride at Dubai Airports, the Business Traveller Award is truly special because it is the travellers – our customers, who choose the winner. Winning this award tells us that our efforts at continually enhancing our customer service are making a difference, and that we are headed in the right direction," said, Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.

The annual awards ceremony was held at the Godolphin Ballroom, Emirates Towers on May 4, on the eve of the Arabian Travel Market 2009. Griffiths received the award on behalf of Dubai Airports from the guest of honour Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Head of easyGroup – best known for creating the low cost airline easyJet in 1995.