Dubai airport’s balancing act

Although there were no major injuries, the accident at Dubai International Airport (DIA) last month still came under intense media scrutiny. The Bangladesh Biman Airlines plane that overshot its runway sparked Dubai Airport into a flurry of chaos, and now, several weeks after the event, opinion is still divided on how effectively the situation was handled.

On the evening of the incident, the Dubai Department of Civil Aviation Authority (DCA) revealed that 27 people were injured in the process. This was double the initial estimate, which suggests clarity of information was initially lacking. More poignantly, the delays it caused were also rifled with confusion.

The accident, in which the nose wheel of the plane collapsed on the runway, forced the closure of DIA for eight hours. For the passengers evacuated and those awaiting subsequent flights, what proceeded was "total chaos", according to media reports. Whilst some were told their flights were delayed only to find out they were in fact cancelled, others sought sanctuary in neighbouring airports, such as Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, only to find similar delays.

Impatience and airports unfortunately go hand-in-hand on more occasions than the industry would hope. Great progress has been made in recent years to make passengers flights as stress free as possible, but the simple fact is there will always be a level of stress involved in travelling. Incidents such as this highlight how a calm situation can in a split second turn into a hive of tempers and tension, a catalogue of unanswerable questions arise and miscommunication ensues.

But what can airports actually do once an accident has occurred? The answer is not far off how Dubai International Airport did infact handle the barebones of the situation. Air traffic control diverted any flights due to land on the blocked runway and ensured all departing flights returned to the airport, whilst emergency crews and investigators meanwhile flocked to the scene of the accident. With only a single runway, the pressure of this recovery operation cannot be underestimated. The response, in technical terms, to close the runway for eight hours and ensure operations can safely be resumed thereafter is nothing short of success.

There are, however, some questions to be raised regarding the treatment of passengers. As mentioned above, there is little that can feasibly be done in such uncertain circumstances, but reports of passengers left stranded and waiting without information of alternative flights or accommodation, seems on the surface as bad practice. Those involved will undoubtedly feel extremely apprehensive about taking their custom to an airline that has treated them in such a fashion.

Until a final report is released, judgement cannot be entirely cast. However, this accident is a reminder that whilst resuming normal operations is a primary concern, this should not cause customer relations and communication to be neglected.

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