The Dubai Government’s Media Office organized, today, in cooperation with Dubai TV, a tele-press conference, in which His Excellency Mattar Mohamed Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority, and His Excellency Jamal Al Hay, Vice President at Dubai Airports, answered questions from a group of Chief editors of local newspapers, media professionals, and representatives of the Arab and international media about the developments in the Emirate of Dubai regarding the new Corona virus (COFED-19) and the efforts made by all concerned authorities in Dubai to limit the spread of the virus.


At the beginning of the conference, which was broadcast live on the "Sama Dubai" channel, and moderated by the journalist Mohammed Salem, His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer stressed that the movement of transportation in Dubai is proceeding according to the procedures decided by the Supreme Committee for Crisis and Disasters in Dubai headed by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, noting that since the beginning of the crisis several precautionary measures have been applied, which include stopping the Dubai metro, easing transportation traffic in cooperation with Dubai Police and transportation security, and health measures approved by the Dubai Health Authority have been implemented, indicating a decrease in the number of passengers from One million and 300 thousand passengers to 400 thousand passengers daily .


His Excellency Al Tayer drew attention to the support provided by the Roads and Transport Authority to the health sector, as the authority provides a taxi and bus service to transport medical teams and the injured in addition to providing logistical support to delivery services companies, which during the past period witnessed heavy demand and increasing pressure, and this support facilitated their tasks and provided the service to the public Easier and faster.        


His Excellency Jamal Al-Hayy, Executive Vice President at Dubai Airports Corporation also touched at the beginning of the meeting on many important issues related to the supply chain of food and medical supplies since the beginning of the current global crisis until today, where Emirates Airlines witnessed an increase equivalent to twice the number of cargo flights, with Using passenger planes on cargo flights to serve the needs of this critical stage that the whole world is going through, and also opening new fields for shipping during this stage, and securing national warehouses and stores to accommodate the abundant quantities of medicines and foodstuffs in Dubai.


Digital services


In response to a question by the media, Abdel Hamid Ahmed, the editor-in-chief of the Gulf News newspaper on how to evaluate the services provided by the Roads and Transport Authority to the public through smart and electronic channels, especially after the closing of the customer happiness centers, the Director General and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai said that the authority is one of the leading government agencies In developing services and digital transformation, with its possession of four digital channels, in addition to the website of the Authority, through which the needs of customers are met around the clock, as these channels witnessed a 40% increase in the number of transactions compared to the same period Last year, it also recorded a 100% increase in the number of transactions through the automatic spokesperson "Mahboub", in addition to the 91% percentage of happiness index on digital services.


Al Tayer pointed out that all of the authority’s services are provided through its digital channels except for some services that require personal attendance, such as registering new vehicles and possessing vehicles, which requires the presence of the customer, pointing to the Authority’s launch of a new service through a mobile bus called the “Mobile Happiness Center” "Which started with the service of owners of determination and the elderly, stressing that customers' demand for the Authority's electronic services led to an increase in these transactions in general to 300% during the period of the national sterilization program, compared to the same period last year."


New destinations


In response to a question from the media, Mona Abu Samra, the responsible editor-in-chief of Al-Bayan newspaper, about the new destinations in the shipping sector imposed by the conditions and repercussions of the spread of the new Corona virus, especially with the development of alternative market plans to maintain the flow of supply chains, answered HE Jamal Al-Hay, Executive Vice President of the Foundation Dubai airports, that Dubai airports services for shipping did not stop at all during the exceptional crisis that the whole world is going through due to the spread of the new Corona virus, on the contrary, Dubai Airport has witnessed new destinations for shipping and currently has approximately 110 daily cargo flights, and we have also witnessed a rise in the number of tons Shipping within Dubai airports, and we have the cooperation of 12 airlines that work day and night to manage the plans drawn up and achieve the aspirations of Dubai in this exceptional stage, pointing to the operational nature of Dubai Airport, which did not differ during these times, but the difference occurred, the nature of work due to the preventive measures imposed to trap the Corona virus.


Global styles


In his question to His Excellency the Director General and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai, the media editor Sami Al-Riyami, Editor-in-Chief of the Emirates Today newspaper, asked about the preventive measures taken by the authority regarding Dubai Taxi and bus services, especially among drivers, where His Excellency confirmed that the Authority Always follow global methods in dealing with public transport, and according to the reports published by the International Public Transport Union, the union has put in place some regulations that transportation institutions and bodies must follow, especially with regard to the taxi and limousine sector to protect Certainly, continuous sterilization, noting that the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai provided personal protection methods for drivers, as it applied a thermal survey to all drivers and workers, in addition to a strict program for sterilization and cleaning of all buses and taxis during the national sterilization program, and the number of buses reached more than 800 buses And more than 5000 vehicles, and the number of passengers was reduced from 70 people 30 people per bus, and the authority set the number of passengers in taxis to three passengers including the driver, and a plastic insulation was installed to separate the passengers from the driver, and the authority obligated the passengers to wear gags, as well as I circulated yours Lots of awareness campaigns through brochures and posters.


Al Tayer pointed to the importance of the transportation sector for the various sectors in this exceptional stage, especially the health sector, and providing support to hospitals, clinics and pharmacies, and that transportation is a vital sector that cannot completely stop its basic services, and stop serving the vital sectors in this period.


Close relationships


In a question to the media assistant, Al-Zayani, from Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper, about how Dubai airports deal with thousands of people who want to return to their countries until the repercussions of the crisis of Covid-19 end, and whether the delay in this file is caused by a local or a country of nationals, Jamal Al-Hay, Vice President at Dubai Airports, saying: “Dubai Airport has, until this moment, evacuated approximately 37,000 passengers who are in the UAE, specifically from those in the Emirate of Dubai, and all of them arrived safely in their countries, after having conducted medical examinations of the crisis before traveling as one of the conditions imposed By some countries for the return of their nationals, "pointing to plans To be evacuated in coordination with the embassies of the State and the Crisis Center in the UAE, and in collaboration with 54 airline companies have contributed concatenate to contain this flow of travelers returning to their home countries, because of the close ties with the Dubai Airport and other airports around the world.


In a question from the journalist Hamad Al Kaabi, the editor-in-chief of Al Ittihad newspaper, about the energy that Dubai buses and taxis operate, Al Tayer said that Dubai employs more than one taxi company with a total of 11,000 taxis, and at the time of the crisis the authority operated five thousand vehicles at 25% of its capacity Pointing out that this period witnessed a limited movement and most taxis worked in the home delivery services of companies, and the authority reduced the tariff by 50% for passengers.


The journalist Wael Al-Sawaf, director of the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram’s office in Dubai, directed the number of aircraft operating today at Dubai International Airport amid these exceptional circumstances, and the number of approximate flights per day for passengers and cargo. His Excellency Deputy CEO at Dubai Airports Corporation replied that most international airports are currently closed Due to the repercussions of the newly created virus, and therefore there are no scheduled flights at Dubai Airport, and the current flights are only flights concerned with the evacuation of nationals of some countries who want to return to their countries and the number of these flights is variable according to the requests of each country, while what is related to the number of cargo flights is approximately 110 flights U Yeh This is also a variable number can be increased or decreased according to the current circumstances, and noted his pleasure that the scheduled flights will be considered as of mid-June, or early July, while scheduling statistics and cargo flights will be starting next July.  


Projects are continuing


The executive editor of Al Khaleej newspaper, Raed Barqawi, asked a question to His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer about the authority's ability to continue implementing road projects, what precautionary measures the Authority is taking with regard to workers, and how the authority will continue to implement its upcoming projects, and whether the next stage will witness amendments to the authority's strategic plan in Launching upcoming projects if the Corona crisis continues more than that. His Excellency Al Tayer said that thanks to the close monitoring of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, and His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, And His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Crisis and Disaster Management in Dubai, Dubai was proactive in dealing with the crisis and took all precautionary measures, thanks to the daily follow-up to the Supreme Committee for Crises and Disasters, and decisions taken during daily and weekly meetings through an evaluation The situation on the ground continuously.


His Excellency added that the studies showed that every dollar spent on the transportation sector estimated its returns on investment at four dollars, pointing out that the Dubai government invested billions of dirhams in infrastructure and has strategic plans and future transport plans over the next 15 and 20 years, noting that these plans have several inputs in order to They are changed, including the inputs to economic development, and urban development that anticipates population numbers and jobs, and that all this is done through careful studies and evaluation of the situation.


With regard to workers, His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer confirmed that there are precautionary measures, requirements and instructions approved by the Health Authority and the competent authorities that are applied with the utmost accuracy, whether in workers ’accommodations, or the means of transportation assigned to them, stressing that projects in Dubai are continuing and that the Authority has opened many projects during this period, As for the future, the annual operating plans are adjusted according to events, and there is no doubt that later on Corona, these effects will be studied and their impact on the plans, whether financially, strategically, or also in terms of planning, pointing out that life after Corona in general will differ And the priorities of governments will differ, referring to the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God bless him, during the cabinet meeting that the orientation during the coming period will be to support the health sector in the first place.


a plus


During the press conference, which was run remotely through visual communication technology, the journalist, Mohamed Al Hammadi, the editor of Al-Ru'ya newspaper, asked a question on His Excellency Jamal Al-Hayy, through which he inquired, in light of the precautionary measures in most countries of the world, especially the source countries of supply chains, about the extent of the impact of shipping traffic Dubai and whether the absorptive capacity of the aircraft allocated to that has been raised, where his happiness confirmed the increase in the allocated cargo capacity during this period, and Dubai airports have witnessed an increase in the number of tons allocated, pointing out that cooperation has been made with Emirates Airlines and flydubai to accommodate this increase in the percentage of freight, By converting the Aircraft designated to carry passengers to carriers contribute to cargo operations.


Ongoing support


 In response to a question by the journalist Faisal Baroud of the Emirates News Agency, about whether Dubai Taxi service is limited to pre-order, and the initiatives launched by the Roads and Transport Authority to ensure the operation of the fleet of cars and vehicles in providing services other than passenger transport, His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer said that the existing taxi companies In the service, it works by applying the “Hala” or “Dubai Taxi” application in addition to two services added to support the health sector in Dubai continuously, as vehicles are provided to the injured, and vehicles are allocated to transport about 120 doctors daily, and other vehicles to support pharmacies. Delivery services are supported by And 10 contracts with signature delivery companies. He pointed out that the authority is studying how to help taxi companies to compensate for the losses resulting from the Corona crisis, whether through reducing fees or other measures and facilities to alleviate the repercussions of the Corona crisis on such national companies in order to continue to work.


Maintain leadership


In an answer to the question of the journalist, Muhammad Ali Harisi, from Agence France-Presse about how Dubai airports maintained their leadership in this global crisis, as Dubai Airport played a pivotal role in facilitating relief operations, transporting medical materials and supporting humanitarian activities, His Excellency Jamal Al Hay replied that Dubai Airport is considered A major focal point for connecting the world, through the various services it provides, and it works quickly to facilitate an increase in the number of shipping operations taking place between Dubai and other cities around the world, indicating that the Department of Shipping and Logistics Services works with freight operators and service partners to maintain supply chains in Dubai And the mother Arat during the exceptional stage that the whole world is going through, pointing out that Emirates Cargo temporarily transferred its shipping operations from Al Maktoum International Airport to Dubai International Airport and then to the cargo village in order to absorb the amount of the increase in the amount of shipping, stressing that as part of Dubai Government efforts to ensure public health, Dubai Airports is taking strict measures to ensure extensive sterilization of goods and cargo facilities.


Protecting people is a priority


During the remotely managed video conference, Mustafa Al Zarouni, the editor-in-chief of Khaleej Times, asked Matar Al Tayer about the recent return of the Dubai Metro service to work with a specific capacity, and the precautionary measures taken by the Roads and Transport Authority to ensure that the Corona virus does not spread among the users of the means Transport and Dubai Metro in particular, His Excellency said that the authority relies on international practices and instructions of the International Transport Union, which approved three axes to focus on in Dubai: cleansing and sterilization, and protecting users and employees, in addition to social distancing, remarkable The directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, are clear in this regard and always emphasize the protection of people and the safety of employees. Hence the decision to suspend the metro service during the period from 5 to 25 April, and then after its return, The authority applies the instructions of the Supreme Committee for Crisis and Disaster Management in Dubai in coordination with the Health Authority and Dubai Police, and among these procedures is sterilization of any train after the end of each trip, as is the sterilization of the metro fleet consisting of 79 trains daily, and all 47 stations are sterilized A daily station, and the authority assigned a team of 700 workers for sterilization and cleaning tasks Everyday, he thanked Dubai Police and Transport Security for their efforts in making sure these measures were applied and verifying the community’s commitment to implement them.


Al Tayer pointed out that the revenues of the Dubai metro were affected by the Corona crisis and the decrease in the number of passengers, as the metro was carrying 643 thousand passengers, and this number decreased to 130 thousand passengers daily, indicating that the measures taken by the transport sector in Dubai won the approval of many international experts during their visit to Dubai , Compared to countries like Taiwan and Singapore, despite their accumulated experiences in dealing with such crises through their dealings with the SARS virus, indicating that the success achieved in limiting the spread of the new Corona virus is the result of continuous and continuous cooperation between the various departments concerned in Dubai, And Dubai has become an example in coordination And cooperation between its institutions, bodies and departments around the clock.


In a question to Abdullah Al-Mutawa from Al-Arabiya channel, he addressed to His Excellency Jamal Al-Hayy, Executive Vice President of the Dubai Airports Corporation, about whether there are initiatives to reduce the burden on the aviation and business partners, especially that Dubai airports are among the most active airports in the world, and operate Large numbers of companies whose operations have declined due to the repercussions of Covid-19, His Excellency pointed out that Dubai International Airport is one of the first international airports that contributed to providing support to investors and its strategic partners, adding that there are many meetings with Dubai airport partners during the next stage to discuss ways to restart when After the Covid-19 phase, as well as discussing the plans concerned with all strategic partners as well as companies operating in Dubai Airport.


His Excellency said: All companies and investors at Dubai Airport have been exempted from 100% of the minimum guarantees or equivalent fees for the partners who were asked to stop the activity or trading due to the suspension of airport operations as a result of the global epidemic, starting from the first of March 2020 until May 31 this year. Dubai Airports Corporation has reached understandings with companies contracting with Dubai Airport regarding the provision of many exemptions and facilities related to contract extensions and re-operations. As for partners who have maintained partial operations, other measures are being taken to address the decline in aviation activity, including rescheduling and amendments. The other mechanism, as we are constantly planning with our partners to raise the gradual mobilization once the global restrictions on travel are lifted, within the framework of business stability, where airlines and concessionaires were provided with the details of the assistance program approved by Dubai airports, and Dubai Airports Corporation has responded decisively to the repercussions of the crisis It is among the first airport operators to propose serious assistance to airlines and business partners.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news