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Tribune News Network
Doha
Qatar Airways (QA) and the Hamad International Airport (HIA) have announced that they have put in place elaborate safety measures to prevent the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19), as they continue to facilitate the critical task of getting stranded passengers home.
At a joint press conference on Tuesday, QA Senior Vice-President for Marketing and Corporate Communications Salam al Shawa and HIA Chief Operating Officer Badr Mohammed al Meer highlighted the precautionary and preventive measures put in place to limit the spread of the virus.
All flights to cities such as New York, Madrid and Barcelona have been suspended as part of measures to maintain the security and safety of employees and passengers, Shawa said.
“We have a social responsibility as a global company. We fulfilled our duty by transporting medical aid to China and Iran, and we delivered supplies to some of the affected countries for free,” she said.
One of the biggest responsibilities of Qatar Airways is the evacuation of Qatari citizens from abroad while it also flies home stranded passengers, she said, adding that countries including France, Germany, Britain and Pakistan have expressed their gratitude for helping their citizens reach home.
Qatar Airways will also evacuate Omani students stuck in the US, she added.
Qatar Airways’ jets, Shawa said, have systems that eliminate more than 99% of viruses and bacteria. The airline also uses sterilisers approved by IATA and WHO, and wash blankets and seat covers at a very high temperature, she pointed out. Elaborating on the safety measures, she said, the body temperatures of the crew members are taken before and after each flight. If any passenger in the flight they operate is suspected to have coronavirus, the entire crew will be placed under quarantine.
Since the beginning of March, 3,000 employees have been quarantined. Of them, only 16 developed symptoms and all of them had returned from their annual vacations. This has led the QA to direct all its employees who are spending vacation outside Qatar to remain in their respective countries until the end of the crisis.
The HIA, Badr Mohammed al Meer said, has brought 500,000 coronavirus-testing kits. They are being used to check the airport staff. He said HIA has taken all preventive measures in coordination with the Ministry of Public Health, in addition to reducing the number of employees at the airport by 40 percent, who are now working remotely.
He said training courses are held for about 60 percent, especially for the simple category of them who deal with travellers. He said airport sterilisation operations take place around the clock.
He said the volume of operations decreased by a very large percentage. The operations of Qatar Airways decreased by more than 75 percent with over 75 percent of its fleet stopping and may reach 90 percent soon. He said the number of passengers at Hamad International Airport fell by 90 percent compared to days before the crisis. He pointed out that 60 percent of the food coming to Doha arrives via passenger planes, not through air cargo planes, because some airports prevent cargo planes from landing. “These are reasons why we continue our operations in response to meet the needs of the local market,” he said.
Doha
Qatar Airways (QA) and the Hamad International Airport (HIA) have announced that they have put in place elaborate safety measures to prevent the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19), as they continue to facilitate the critical task of getting stranded passengers home.
At a joint press conference on Tuesday, QA Senior Vice-President for Marketing and Corporate Communications Salam al Shawa and HIA Chief Operating Officer Badr Mohammed al Meer highlighted the precautionary and preventive measures put in place to limit the spread of the virus.
All flights to cities such as New York, Madrid and Barcelona have been suspended as part of measures to maintain the security and safety of employees and passengers, Shawa said.
“We have a social responsibility as a global company. We fulfilled our duty by transporting medical aid to China and Iran, and we delivered supplies to some of the affected countries for free,” she said.
One of the biggest responsibilities of Qatar Airways is the evacuation of Qatari citizens from abroad while it also flies home stranded passengers, she said, adding that countries including France, Germany, Britain and Pakistan have expressed their gratitude for helping their citizens reach home.
Qatar Airways will also evacuate Omani students stuck in the US, she added.
Qatar Airways’ jets, Shawa said, have systems that eliminate more than 99% of viruses and bacteria. The airline also uses sterilisers approved by IATA and WHO, and wash blankets and seat covers at a very high temperature, she pointed out. Elaborating on the safety measures, she said, the body temperatures of the crew members are taken before and after each flight. If any passenger in the flight they operate is suspected to have coronavirus, the entire crew will be placed under quarantine.
Since the beginning of March, 3,000 employees have been quarantined. Of them, only 16 developed symptoms and all of them had returned from their annual vacations. This has led the QA to direct all its employees who are spending vacation outside Qatar to remain in their respective countries until the end of the crisis.
The HIA, Badr Mohammed al Meer said, has brought 500,000 coronavirus-testing kits. They are being used to check the airport staff. He said HIA has taken all preventive measures in coordination with the Ministry of Public Health, in addition to reducing the number of employees at the airport by 40 percent, who are now working remotely.
He said training courses are held for about 60 percent, especially for the simple category of them who deal with travellers. He said airport sterilisation operations take place around the clock.
He said the volume of operations decreased by a very large percentage. The operations of Qatar Airways decreased by more than 75 percent with over 75 percent of its fleet stopping and may reach 90 percent soon. He said the number of passengers at Hamad International Airport fell by 90 percent compared to days before the crisis. He pointed out that 60 percent of the food coming to Doha arrives via passenger planes, not through air cargo planes, because some airports prevent cargo planes from landing. “These are reasons why we continue our operations in response to meet the needs of the local market,” he said.
