Emirates in its recent communication of the travel advisory has prohibited the carriage of pagers and walkie-talkies in the carry-on baggage as well as check-in baggage while travelling to, through or from Dubai. This was disclosed by the airline on Friday night in a statement which warned that any such items in the hand luggage or check in baggage will be seized by the Dubai Police.
This latest restriction comes in the backdrop of increased security measures all over the region. Due to these, Emirates specifically took theiri time and warned passengers to take note of the ban before they even get to the airport. It came from a Dubai-based airline, “Any communication device including pagers or walkie-talkies will be seized by Dubai Police if found on passengers,” they said.
Regional Security Measures Extend to Other Airports
The ban on pagers and walkie-talkies does not apply only to Dubai but to the entire country. Passengers who had intended to travel on the same flights, and those who would be transiting in Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport in Lebanon as from September 19, were also barred from using the communication gadgets. This came after an elaborate attack on the free messaging application used widely by Hezbollah, raising concerns of security perils of these gadgets.
Effects on the Flights Operating in the Zone
They have also experienced disruptions because of regional turbulence in their operations. At the moment, there are no direct flights between UAE and Lebanon; the airline halting services of Dubai – Beirut until, October 8. However, some of the cancelled flights include those going to and from Iraq (Basra and Baghdad), Iran (Tehran) and Jordan (Amman) stand barred till October 5.
Emirates made it clear that passengers destined for Iraq, Iran and Jordan are barred from boarding at their first stop even if their final destination is Dubai if they have a layover in Dubai. These measures remain in force as others pending notice owing to increased tensions with other countries hence deeming passenger safety paramount.
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Resumption of Flights via Flydubai and Etihad Airways
In the meantime flydubai announced that it was operating its flights from Dubai to Iran, Iraq, Israel and Jordan who started service from Friday. Further, the Etihad Airways, based in Abu Dhabi has commenced its operations for flight services between Abu Dhabi (AUH) and Tel Aviv (TLV) on Thursday, which marks some signs of opening in some of the regional flights.
The current geopolitics has remained unstable, and thus, Emirates like other airlines is making necessary provision to ensure passengers and security standards are protected. All passengers are encouraged to check for any update before travelling and this general public should be aware of these regulations to avoid being locked out of any aircraft.