Dubai Customs deal with 31m items of luggage in first half of 2019
Operations led to 1,563 seizures at Dubai International Airport during first half of year
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Dubai: Dubai Customs dealt with 31 million items of luggage in the first half of 2019 from flights arriving at Dubai International Airport, resulting in 1,563 seizures, it was revealed on Saturday.
Ahmad Mahboob Musabih, Director-General, Dubai Customs said the total number of luggage items handled belonged to 17.7 million passengers on board 135,000 flights.
The passenger operations department made 1,306 criminal seizures and 257 customs seizures during the first half of the year.
Musabih, during his tour of terminals 1 and 2 of Dubai International Airport, said he was pleased Dubai Customs is part of Dubai International Airport. It is the first airport worldwide to have automated customs procedures and this has noticeably facilitated passenger traffic during peak seasons such as Hajj and holiday seasons, he said.
Musabih toured the airport buildings and facilities, including the inspection areas and operation and control rooms, and praised the level of alertness and discipline of the inspection officers. He thanked them for thwarting smuggling attempts.
“Dubai has invested billions to get the infrastructure of its ports and airports to a very advanced world-class level. This hugely benefits the national economy and Dubai trade as part of the emirate’s vision of maintain its status as a unique hub of trade and tourism. We keep innovating to help passengers visiting Dubai have a pleasant experience and to save them time and effort,” Musabih said.