Dubai Airport has opened new children's passport counters at Terminals 1 and 2.
After the successful launch in April of a children's counter in Terminal 3, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs now has children-friendly counters in all terminals at the airport.
Young passengers with passports – aged between 4 and 12 – arriving on flights will be greeted by characters Salem and Salama, in a GDFRA employees uniform, before approaching the passport counter. Parents will also be able to get their passports stamped at the counter.
The first children to use the new counter at Terminal 1 on Wednesday were welcomed by Lt Gen Mohammed Al Marri, director-general of GDRFA Dubai, who visited the airport with his team.
“They are the first of its kind platforms aimed at enhancing the travel experience for young passengers,” Lt Gen Al Marri told The National.
“In a bid to make the process of passport stamping more enjoyable and interactive, a new children-only platform has been launched, allowing kids to independently stamp their passports upon arrival.”
He said the initiative is designed to make Dubai a “city for everyone” for families arriving at the airport.
“It is important to create a welcoming and engaging environment for young travellers,” he said.
GDRFA Dubai said more than 10,423 children have used the counter at Terminal 3 between April and June this year.
“This experience for the child in Dubai airport is unique,” Lt Gen Al Marri said.
“We have children arriving at the airport and asking for the platform after they heard about it and saw clips on social media.”
Dubai hosted 3.1 million visitors in the first two months of 2023, according to the latest data from Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism.
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Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
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18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
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18,000
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