Dubai International Airport (DXB), which had been closed since March 26 due to coronavirus, has started receiving tourists from Tuesday, 7 July 2020."A warm welcome to your second home” is the message being stuck on arrivals passports by immigration officials at the airport. A few months ago, a similar initiative meant farewell stickers were placed in the passports of people taking repatriation flights out of Dubai. They carried the message "Have a safe flight, we'll meet soon".

The President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said: “Dubai is welcoming visitors from around the world with the highest standards of health and safety, in line with international protocols.” People travelling to Dubai should take a PCR nasal swab test before their flight to Dubai, in a hospital or private clinic in their home country. “They need to carry the results to Dubai. If the test is valid and recognised in UAE, and if they show no symptoms after landing, they will not be tested in Dubai or quarantined,” officials said.

The DXB realised a memo containing general guidelines for passengers arriving and/or departing from Dubai. Only valid ticket holders will be allowed into the terminal building. Passengers must not go to the airport more than four hours before your scheduled flight time and protective gloves and mask must be worn by all travellers. Passengers displaying symptoms are advised to not come to the airport and seek medical advice.

As the DXB welcomed the first batch of passengers arriving in Dubai after three months of closure Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council visited Dubai International Airport where he was briefed on the safety measures in place to ensure the safety of passengers and secure public safety and health. The Crown Prince was seen wearing a mask while touring the airport.

Following the visit, Sheikh Hamdanwrote on his Twitter account: “For many years, @DXB has ranked first as the world’s busiest hub for international passenger traffic. With our teams’ outstanding efforts, we will retain this ranking. We strongly believe in our ability to reinforce Dubai’s outstanding position in global travel and tourism.”Dubai International Airport handled 86.4 million passengers in 2019, making it the sixth year in a row that it ranked first as the world's busiest for international passengers.

Emirates airline is currently operating flights to, from and through Dubai to more than 52 destinations across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North America.The UAE has been reporting an average of 327 COVID-19 infections since the first case was confirmed on 29 January until the day DXB was reopened on 7 July. UAE has the 10th largest number of confirmed coronavirus infections and, at the same time, the 10th smallest fatality rate among all OIC countries. The country’s recovery rate stood at nearly 80% on 8 July 2020.