Passenger numbers would not be impact massively by electronic ban, Dubai airport claims

DUBAI, U.A.E. - The world’s busiest international airport, the Dubai International Airport has said that the electronics ban will have minimal impact on passenger numbers.

Following the American ban, Britain too imposed a ban on electronics on some flights from Muslim-majority countries this week.

U.K. said that it was banning passengers travelling from the affected airports from bringing laptops, tablets and other portable electronic devices on board when they fly.

The ban by U.K. would also include some cellphones.

The British ban reportedly applies to flights from six countries, including Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia, while the U.S. ban applies to 10 airports in eight Muslim-majority countries. 

Meanwhile, Dubai Airport chief executive said that the ban will not significantly affect passenger numbers at the airport that has 12 flights departing to U.S. cities daily.

The ban that starts on Saturday is widely believed to impact airlines as business travellers who use laptops to work during flights might switch to unaffected carriers.

Dubai Airports Chief Executive Paul Griffiths told DubaiEye radio, "If we are very, very diligent in both communicating exactly what the restrictions are and actually have an efficient process to deal with the situation, I don't suggest it will have an impact on numbers.”

Griffiths added that a "very tiny proportion" may choose to switch airlines.

Dubai International that hosted as many as 83.6 million passengers in 2016, is said to be targeting 89 million passengers this year.

Emirates, which is the only airline to fly direct to the U.S. from Dubai International has said that the airline will allow passengers to hand over their devices as they board, allowing them to continue to use the gadgets until the last possible moment and minimise disruption.

Emirates President Tim Clark called the ban disruptive and added that the airline was "closely monitoring the business impact of this new security measure, and we will decide on our strategies and interventions accordingly."