Mohammad Sarhan is the Vice President Pakistan for Emirates airline. Previously, he was the Emirates Country Manager for Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia. With over 13 years of experience in the aviation industry, Sarhan began his career at Emirates in 2006 as a Commercial Operations Officer before being promoted as the Commercial Support Manager. Between 2009 and 2014, he has also been Country Manager for Ivory Coast, Greece, and Vietnam.

Following are the edited excerpts of a conversation of BR Research with Mr Sarhan, Emirates VP in Pakistan:

BR Research: What has been the impact of the COVID-19 restrictions on Emirates operations in Pakistan?

Mohammad Sarhan: Towards the end of March, we temporarily suspended all passenger flights, including Pakistan, as directed by our regulator the UAE GCAA. That hit us hard and we regret the impact on our customers, but Emirates fully supports Dubai and the UAE’s pandemic response measures, which always put people’s health and safety first.

After a thorough review of health and safety measures, the UAE authorities lifted restrictions on transit passengers, and since then, Emirates has been gradually restoring its network connectivity. We resumed flights to Pakistan on 08 June serving five cities, offering 53 weekly flights.

BRR: What measures did you undertake to respond to the pandemic?

MS: Our top priority remains the health and safety of our customers, crew, and the communities we serve. We have implemented a comprehensive set of measures at every step of the customer journey to ensure the safety of its customers and employees on the ground and in the air, including the distribution of complimentary hygiene kits containing masks, gloves, hand sanitiser and antibacterial wipes to all customers.

We know people are yearning to fly, and we are proud to lead the way in boosting confidence for international travel. Emirates was the first airline to offer its passengers free cover for Covid-19 medical expenses and quarantine costs, when they fly to any destination, in any class of travel. The airline covers medical expenses of up to EUR 150,000 and quarantine costs of EUR 100 per day for 14 days, should customers be diagnosed with Covid-19 during their travel, while they are away from home. This cover is immediately effective for customers flying on Emirates until 31 October 2020.

We also revised our booking policies to provide customers with more flexibility and confidence while planning their travels. Customers who purchase an Emirates ticket by 30 September 2020 for travel on or before 30 November 2020 can enjoy generous rebooking terms and options, if they have to change their travel plans due to unexpected flight or travel restrictions relating to Covid-19, or when they book a Flex or Flex plus fare.

BRR: What is Emirates’ travel and health advisory/requirements these days?

MS: All passengers travelling to Dubai, including passengers connecting in Dubai, must have a printed negative Covid-19 PCR test certificate to be accepted on the flight. It is also mandatory for all Emirates passengers to wear masks, except for very young passengers. Our crew all wear PPE, and we have modified our services to minimise contact and risk of spread.

We regularly review and update our hygiene and safety protocols in line with the latest guidance from the authorities and health experts. We have modified our services on the ground and in the air and put in place a multi-layered set of measures to protect our customers and colleagues at every step of the travel journey. This includes all boarding agents and cabin crew on board fully kitted in our personal protective equipment (PPE); an additional Cabin Service Assistant on board to enhance cleaning of lavatories; our lavatories are frequently disinfected and if the flight is longer than 1 hour 30 minutes, we add an extra member of our cabin crew dedicated to cleaning the lavatories; and modified service on board to reduce risk of infection.

BRR: Now that Emirates operations including those in Pakistan have resumed and travel restrictions have been eased, how many destinations is Emirates now serving globally? How many cities is Emirates now operating in Pakistan versus the flight frequency in Pre-Covid era?

MS: Emirates currently serves over 85 destinations in its network, offering Pakistani customers travelling between the Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Asia Pacific safe and convenient connections via Dubai.

We offer passenger services to/from five cities in Pakistan. The airline currently operates 21 weekly flights to Karachi; 10 weekly flights to Islamabad; 7 weekly flights to Sialkot; 10 weekly flights to Lahore; and 5 weekly flights to Peshawar.

BRR: How is the customer confidence since air travel has resumed?

MS: The Covid-19 pandemic is not over yet, but we are learning to cope with it. While the world is adjusting to the next phase of the pandemic, we are optimistic that this will bring further stability for travel demand to come back as we see continuous increase in bookings. We know people still want to travel, and we are expecting a period of slowly rebuilding demand as travel restrictions gradually lift, and businesses and consumers gradually regain travel confidence.

Dubai is one of the most popular global destinations for leisure, MICE, and business travellers. The city remains a highly attractive destination for Pakistani visitors. In 2019, Dubai welcomed 16.7 million visitors and hosted over hundreds of global meetings and exhibitions, as well as sports and entertainment events. The city was one of the world’s first cities to obtain ‘Safe Travels’ stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) – which endorses Dubai’s comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety.

BRR: As an industry expert, what kind of recovery do you see for the airline industry? With new standard operating procedures becoming the new normal, what will the future aviation industry look like?

MS: No one knows when the industry will return to pre-pandemic levels, as there are too many external variables, but most forecasts estimate it to be in 2022 or 2023.

For us, we are committed to serving our customers and we hope to resume our full complement of services and destinations as quickly and safely as the situation allows. We remain fully focused and committed to our network, and we are working hard to rebuild it to pre-pandemic levels in the coming months as more airports and cities reopen.

We have returned to 50 percent of our pre-pandemic destination network serving more than 80 destinations and offering travellers convenient connections between the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Americas through our Dubai hub.

BRR: What is Emirates’ path to recovery, new safety measures and plans going forward?

MS: We are confident in our business model and with Dubai as our hub, our proposition is as strong as ever, and Emirates will continue to lead the way in rebuilding the aviation industry with superior products, service, comfort and network.

As the world learns more about this new virus, we regularly review and update our hygiene and safety protocols in line with the latest guidance from the authorities and health experts. We modified our services on the ground and in the air and put in place a multi-layered set of measures to protect our customers and colleagues at every step of the travel journey.

We look forward to continuing serving five gateways in Pakistan, offering customers more travel options and enhanced connectivity to more than 80 destinations, via Dubai.

Our top priority is the health and safety of our customers, our crew, and the communities we serve. We continue to work closely with international and local authorities to resume passenger operations responsibly and gradually, as well as adapt and implement various measures to mitigate any risks of infection during travel.