Dubai Bans ‘Ghana Must Go’ Bags At Their Airports

MICHAEL AKINOLA

From Wednesday 8 March, travellers coming to Dubai Airports would no longer be allowed to come in with the popular ‘Ghana Must Go’ bag that is very common among Nigerians.

The Dubai Airports Authority has introduced a new baggage rule that will make bags without flat surfaces to be rejected at their airports.

The effort is to prevent blockages in its baggage-handling system.

The airport authority released pictures of items in bubble wrap that it said slowed down the system.

“Dubai International provides some of the most sophisticated baggage systems in the world,” said Ali Angizeh, vice president of terminal operations at Dubai International.

“Bags that are round or do not have a flat surface of any kind are by far the largest cause of baggage jams,” Angizeh said.

“These jams can shut down sections of our system, delay the delivery of baggage to the aircraft and inconvenience -customers.”

Dubai Airports has advised all airlines operating into Dubai International Airport of the imminent change and has updated its website, mobile app and signage across the airport to help to raise awareness.

“Passengers who show up at the airport with non-compliant baggage, will also be given the option to have it repacked in boxes, for a fee.”

John Dyett, head of baggage operations at the airport, said on many occasions the bags in question were unsecured and simply wrapped in plastic and tied with rope.

“This type of baggage will be placed into cardboard boxes, which are flat sided and as a result can go through our system without causing blockages,” he said.

“We have empathy with passengers but we also have to ensure the smooth operation of the airport and delays with baggage drop-off can then lead to delays in check-in operations,” he said.

The huge scale and complex nature of the airport means that its baggage system is more susceptible to jamming by oversized or irregular-shaped bags, he said.

“I think they will make it too expensive to repackage and my other concern is that the boxes will not be strong enough for the flight,” said Sanjeet Chauhan, 35, from India.

“What happens if someone can’t afford to pay for the repacking? Will they have to leave their stuff behind? That seems unfair to me.”

Stretching 140 kilometres and covering a surface area of 75 football fields, DXB’s baggage-handling system is among the largest in the world.