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GCAA launches large-scale aviation safety and security awareness campaign with a dedicated website to provide campaign information

Sponsored by Etihad Airways , Emirates and Presidential Flight and running through December 2011

Dubai, UAE: inline with the overall strategies of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority and its continuous pursue to achieve the highest levels of civil aviation safety and security, the authority launched a large-scale awareness campaign with the slogan "Love Your Sky", which runs until End of December 2011 in cooperation with several organizations in the sector.

Aiming at raising awareness with the flight and passenger safety all over the UAE, this campaign will focus on a wide range of topics and issues that constantly face passengers and cause damage or disturbance whether to airports or carriers or passengers. The campaign will be using various tools, technologies, media and advertising methods to ensure the widest spread, and thus, achieving its goals.

During a press conference held in Dubai today to mark the launch of the campaign, H.E Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, the Director General of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority , said: "Although the United Arab Emirates boasts an excellent passenger and flight safety and security record, it is an urgent need to constantly seek to achieve the highest security and safety standards. In this regard, the General Civil Aviation Authority cooperates with civil aviation departments and national carriers in the country to achieve this purpose and maintain the achievement. "

"It is very important to all players in the UAE civil aviation sector that the GCAA remains fully focused in terms of improving flight and passenger safety and security, thus, all procedures taken or adopted in this regard must be precautionary and proactive, not depending on reactions. The lack of regular, accurate reviews of safety and security programs would render the best plans unsuccessful," he added.

"The General Civil Aviation Authority has worked closely with its valued partners, and inline with its safety and security strategy, to develop an awareness campaign on passenger and flight safety and security, aiming to raise the awareness of all shareholders to keep the country's skies and aviation facilities incident-free, and take safety and security to world-record levels. This takes exerting huge efforts and overcoming difficult challenge, not only for GCAA but also for all departments working within the civil aviation system."

"To ensure the widest spread of the campaign along with achieving its goals, a special website www.loveyoursky.com was launched to provide all necessary information, data and updates, in addition to answering questions on the campaign and other related topics, as well as ways to participate," Al Suwaidi concluded.

UAE-based carriers offer sponsorship to the campaign, with Etihad Airways being the Golden sponsor, Emirates and Presidential Flight as Silver sponsors.

Khaled Al Mehairbi, Senior Vice President Government Affairs and Aeropolitical, Etihad Airways , said: "There is nothing more important to an airline than safety. It is our number one priority at Etihad , and we are happy to support any initiative that enhances safety".

"In this case, we are very pleased to be working with our aviation partners in the UAE to being greater awareness to the travelling public about how we can all work together to make sure our skies are safe and secure." Al Mehairbi Added.

"Safety remains the number one priority for Emirates and we continue to work closely with the GCAA to ensure that our procedures are in line with their stringent safety regulations," said Mohammed Al Khaja, Emirates Senior Vice President Group Safety and Standards. "The 'Love Your Sky' campaign is an excellent initiative from the GCAA and we are proud to be involved with it. Empowering the public to make informed decisions when travelling by air is an essential part of keeping our skies safe. As a leading international airline we remain committed to following worldwide safety best practice and continue to invest significantly in safety training and development."

The flight and passenger safety and security awareness campaign in the UAE highlights several issues and aspects that could face any traveler through the various ports of the country, including more than 13 items explained to passengers:

Prohibited items: the campaign presents full explanation on dangerous goods, how and why their transport is regulated and where to seek more information on transporting such goods. It also highlights the importance of abiding by those rules and consequences for failing to do so.

Carrying others' baggage: this section sheds light on the importance of not carrying other passengers' baggage, except those closely related and only after checking the baggage - as well as the need to declare carrying other people's baggage.

Smoking: In this section the passenger knows rules of carrying cigarettes in terms of amounts, and reasons for banning smoking on board, whether they can smoke at the aircraft toilet and what to do in case they can not tolerate long periods without smoking.

Radio controlled planes: regulations for their use and importance of selecting the right place for operating them.

Allowed baggage weight: this part presents the maximum free weight allowed for one piece of baggage, and the reason why baggage may not exceed 32 kilograms per piece. It also mentions the number of free baggage pieces allowed and the maximum dimensions of baggage checked on the plane or hand baggage carried onboard.

Security checks: Explains possibility of avoiding security checks, what happens if a passengers refuses to undergo security checks, and what to do to make the process easier.

Disruptive passengers: Defines the disruptive passengers, what makes them behave this way and how should other passengers react if disturbed by another. This section also highlights the consequences of disruptive behavior during a flight, and what is expected from another traveler to do in order to help the flight crew put them under control.

Using electronic devices: is it safe to use electronic devices on board, and could passengers use their cell phones, laptops or iPads during a flight, and what are the electronic devices allowed to be operated on a plane.

Health condition of passenger: the necessity for travelers suffering chronic diseases to check their health before the flight to make it safer for them and the others. Passengers who have artificial joints or implants must always carry a letter from their doctor to make security checks quicker and safer.

Carrying liquids, aerosols and gels: in this section the passenger knows what they are allowed to carry on board, and whether there are exceptions to carry medications or baby food, as well as regulations applied on duty free shops and on board shopping, and what should be observed in connecting flights.

Joking with security personnel: this section clarifies the consequences of joking with airport security officers, what would happen if a passenger jokes: "why are you searching me do you think I have a bomb?" or "do you think I am a terrorist", what words should not be used at the airport or aboard an aircraft, and whether it is acceptable to joke with friends near security personnel.

Cooperation with security: Explores the possibility of passengers cooperating with security officers, and what to do if they hear someone talking about a bomb, and will they get in trouble for reporting suspects.

Carrying pets and live animals: this section highlights the possibility of taking a pet, such as a dog or a cat, on board, what should be taken into consideration when brining a pet, whether a snake, an insect or a reptile may be carried on board, what are the regulations followed for transporting live animals, and who is responsible for fulfilling all legal requirements to transport live animals aboard aircrafts.

As part of its national safety program, GCAA supports its own safety management programs through effective monitoring, developing policies and making decisions, especially with the decision making process within the national safety program being based on comprehensive analysis of the national aviation system. Relevant regulations also depend on the risk definition and safety risk analysis and consequences.

The program also entails distributing the safety management requirements among all aviation service providers, demanding them to prove their abilities to being proactive rather than reactive, while assessing abidance to safety standards, which enables the Authority and service providers to deal with safety risks more efficiently.

- Ends -

For more information, please contact:
Hanan Moussa
Communications Specialist, GCAA .
Tel: 04-2111596
Fax: 04-2111563
Email: hmoussa@gcaa.ae

© Press Release 2011