The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority will consider imposing a limit on how long passengers are allowed to be kept inside a plane during tarmac delays.
The aviation regulator will consider whether it needs to impose limits, or continue to leave it in the hands of airlines, according to a report in The National newspaper.
“The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) will be looking at the subject to see if there’s a need to govern this,” Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, director general of the GCAA, told The National newspaper.
Al Suwaidi is due to receive a report this week which will include how various countries deal with tarmac delays, and whether there are any safety concerns.
“If it’s about the passenger inconvenience, then it will be left for the airline,” he said.
The report in The National said passengers in the US are allowed to be kept inside an aircraft for up to three hours and any time beyond that results in a fine of up to $27,000 per passenger. That policy has been criticised, however, with the International Air Transport Association saying the decision should be left with the airlines.
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