15
June
2020
|
10:10
Europe/Amsterdam

Dubai Airports supports business partners during pandemic

Operator starts planning for phased remobilisation

Dubai Airports is working closely with its aviation and commercial partners and is planning for a gradual remobilisation once travel restrictions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic are lifted. Under a business stabilisation framework, aviation partners, tenants and concessionaires have been provided with details of an assistance programme agreed by Dubai Airports. Dubai Airports has responded decisively to the COVID-19 crisis and is among the first airport operators to propose meaningful assistance to airline and commercial partners. The programme, which is applicable for the impacted period March 1st 2020 to May 31st 2020, includes waiving 100% of minimum guarantees or equivalent fees for partners who have been required to cease trading due to the suspension of airport operations caused by the global pandemic. For partners that have maintained partial operations, other measures are in place to address the reduction in aviation activity, including rescheduling and other financial adjustments.

Flexibility is more important now than ever, said Eugene Barry, Executive Vice President of Commercial at Dubai Airports. Of paramount importance is that we protect and retain our aviation and business partnerships, which have been carefully built over a number of years, and ensure that our revenue and service drivers will be in a position to remobilise, in line with approvals from federal authorities. We have taken a number of unprecedented measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 to our own business, as well as those of our partners. By providing clarity and meaningful assistance to our business partners at this moment, we are confident that we will re-emerge to continue delivering the highest levels of assurance and service in a new commercial landscape, in which DXB and DWC will play leading parts. Our futures are intertwined, and dependent on our ability to maintain core relationships, but also on adapting to unprecedented conditions and new behaviours.

Passenger operations at DXB and Dubai World Central (DWC), with the exception of repatriation flights, were effectively suspended by UAE authorities on March 24, 2020. The suspension is in place until further notice. Cargo operations are excluded from the ban and have experienced a surge of activity at DXB as 12 airlines, including Emirates SkyCargo and flydubai, have been given permission to operate an average of 110 weekly flights weekly in response to heightened demand for pharmaceuticals, food, and other essential goods.