QATAR. Qatar Airways and its subsidiaries are taking enhanced steps to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. The latest measures include updated flight schedules, new policies to protect staff welfare and consolidating operations at Hamad International Airport (HIA).
Hamad International remains open as Qatar Airways continues to repatriate travellers through the Doha hub, and to ensure food security of Qatar through cargo.
To limit the number of people at HIA as passenger numbers fall, there has been a temporary reduction of -40% of staff working at the airport across food & beverage, retail and ground services.
HIA has also implemented stringent cleaning procedures and closed most non-essential passenger facilities. All passenger touchpoints are sanitised every 10-15 minutes. All boarding gates and bus gate counters are cleaned after each flight.
Staff working at the airport have been provided with additional training to implement the highest health and safety measurements. In addition, hand sanitisers are provided at immigration and security screening points.
A social distancing policy has been implemented at the airport, and staff are allowed to wear masks and disposable gloves to protect them from any infection. All staff are briefed to change their masks in line with WHO recommendations.
Most food courts and food outlets have been temporarily closed following Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health guidelines. Some food & beverage outlets remain operational with passengers following social distancing measures.
HIA has also suspended retail and service outlets except for some essential stores such as pharmacy. The airport has also stopped the use of passenger trains, escalators, moving walkalators and elevators, and has stopped the use of baby strollers and prayer rooms.
Qatar Airways is supporting the State of Qatar’s efforts to manage the coronavirus outbreak, and has acquired and transported 500,000 test kits, which arrived in Doha today, and will donate these to local health services.
Qatar Airways continues to temporarily hold flights to severely affected countries due to entry restrictions implemented by many governments. The airline will place a temporary hold on flights to New York John F. Kennedy International Airport from 1 April, Madrid Barajas Airport from 4 April, and Barcelona El Prat Airport from 5 April.
Cabin crew have received training on how to minimise their chances of contracting or spreading the infection, are thermally screened before the departure of flights and after their arrival, and are quarantined and tested if any colleagues or passengers on a flight shows any symptoms of infection or test positive for the virus. As the current pandemic has escalated, cabin crew have been authorised to wear surgical masks and disposable gloves.
Qatar Airways has revised its distribution of cabin crew on flights, sending two groups on short-haul and medium-haul flights – the first to manage the outbound trip, the second to manage the inbound trip. For long-haul flights, crew members who have to stay overnight in a foreign city can only travel in Qatar Airways-approved transport and must remain in their rooms, limiting human interactions.
For passengers, Qatar Airways is encouraging social distancing where possible, especially on flights with lighter loads. Distancing is also implemented during the boarding process, ensuring passengers are allocated seats far apart from each other.
As a leading cargo operator, Qatar Airways is offering humanitarian assistance to affected countries.
In February the airline supported China by donating and flying 300 tonnes of medical supplies to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. It also flew six tonnes of medical supplies to the Islamic Republic of Iran, which were donated by the State of Qatar, in March.
In terms of its day-to-day operations, Qatar Airways Cargo said it is ensuring that importers can maintain supplies of fresh produce and pharmaceuticals to countries around the world through its cargo operations at significantly discounted rates.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker said: “At Qatar Airways we continue to work hard to take people home to their families, while also ensuring robust health and safety practices to limit the spread of coronavirus.
“We are adjusting our flight schedules on a daily basis, and since the outbreak of the virus we have stepped up our already robust hygiene practices. In these efforts, we do not work alone – I am grateful for the support we have received from local and national governments and entities, whom we are working in close partnership to overcome this pandemic.”
