By Nadeem Hanif www.thenational.ae
DUBAI // Emirates Airline is expecting a record number of passengers travelling to and from Dubai over the New Year weekend.
Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to ring in the New Year and partake in the Dubai Shopping Festival.
An estimated 174,000 people, not including transit passengers, are expected in Dubai between December 28 and January 1, according to Emirates.
Another 103,000 travellers will leave the emirate from Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport between Saturday and Monday.
“With another record-breaking week coming up, we want to ensure that passing through the airport is as stress-free as possible,” said Mohammed Mattar, senior vice president of airport services at Emirates.
“During the coming busy travel period, passengers should provide plenty of time for airport check-in and security screening, and factor in more time into their travel plans to ensure that they arrive at their gates on time.”
The busiest day will be on Saturday, and the airline is advising travellers to arrive at least three hours before their flight departs and leave extra time for traffic in the drive to the airport.
Premjit Bangara, general manager of Sharaf Travel in Dubai, said most people had planned to travel in the days leading up to New Year’s Eve.
“We tend to find that people who book their Christmas holidays usually also include the New Year period as well,” he said. “There are some people who wait for the last minute to book their flights but I would say over the New Year period there are very few seats available.” More info
