Starting on March 8, Dubai International Airport will be enforcing new, stricter baggage rules to improve the airport's services and for a more effective supervision of all check-in and baggage operations. Passengers who will arrive at the airport without complying in the new baggage regulation will have the option to have their belongings repacked in a box for an additional fee.
According to Travel and Leisure, the new rules will regulate the use of round, irregular-shaped and oversize bags. Passengers are thus required to use a baggage with flat surface only. Non-compliant baggage will be rejected upon check-in to avoid damage on the machine which can cause the delay of flights.
In the official press statement issued by the airport, Vice President of Terminal Operations Ali Angizeh said that the Dubai International Airport is one of the leading airports in the world in terms of providing the most sophisticated baggage systems. He furthered that "even the most technologically advanced systems can be disrupted by irregular shaped or oversized bags."
"Bags that are round or do not have a flat surface of any kind are by far the largest source of baggage jams. These jams can shut down sections of our system, delay baggage delivery to the aircraft and inconvenience our customers," Angizeh added.
According to a report by Geo News, Dubai International has already informed all airlines operating in the airport regarding the changes in the baggage rules. Furthermore, the airport has also managed to update its mobile app and official website to notify the passengers about the new rules. Signs are also posted all over the airport for further information dissemination. "We are trying to get the message out there as much as possible," Angizeh said.
Utilizing 140 kilometers of the airport's surface, the baggage handling system of Dubai International Airport is considered to be one of the largest all over the world. In the first month of 2016 alone, the 15,000 trays of the airport's baggage system have handled almost 9.3 million passenger bags.
