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Contingency Plan for Lengthy Tarmac Delays

Contingency Plan for Lengthy Tarmac Delays

Emirates is committed to ensuring the comfort and safety of all passengers by providing industry‑leading service on every flight we operate. This Contingency Plan for Lengthy Tarmac Delays (“Plan”) describes the steps Emirates will take during a lengthy tarmac delay in accordance with the relevant U.S. Department of Transportation (“DOT”) regulations.

This Plan applies to all international scheduled and public charter flights operated by Emirates to and from the USA in accordance with the relevant DOT regulations. This Plan will be activated when these flights are experiencing irregular operations involving a lengthy tarmac delay at an airport in the USA. In most cases the cause of lengthy tarmac delays are outside of Emirates’ reasonable control (such as weather events, air traffic control systems, government operating restrictions, and airport construction projects). Regardless of the cause of a delay, Emirates will implement the measures set out in this Plan.

Assurances to Customers:

  1. The Department of Transportation's (DOT) tarmac delay rule requires that passengers on a flight experiencing a tarmac delay have the opportunity to deplane before three hours (for domestic flights) or four hours (for international flights) after the start of the tarmac delay. For all flights covered by this Plan, Emirates will not permit an aircraft to remain on the tarmac in the USA for more than four hours before allowing passengers to deplane unless:
    • The pilot‑in‑command determines there is a safety‑related or security‑related reason why the aircraft cannot leave its position on the tarmac to deplane passengers; or
    • Air traffic control advises the pilot‑in‑command that returning to the gate or another disembarkation point elsewhere in order to deplane passengers would significantly disrupt airport operations.
  2. For all flights covered by this Plan, Emirates will provide adequate food and potable water no later than two hours after the start of any tarmac delay, unless the pilot-in-command determines that safety or security considerations preclude such service.
  3. For all flights covered by this Plan, Emirates will provide operable lavatory facilities, as well as adequate medical attention if needed, while the aircraft remains on the tarmac.
  4. For all tarmac delays at an airport in the USA in excess of 30 minutes that are covered by this Plan:
    • Emirates will provide passengers with an update on the status of the delay when the tarmac delay exceeds 30 minutes;
    • Emirates will provide subsequent updates on the status of the tarmac delay to passenger as appropriate; and
    • Emirates will notify the passengers in a timely manner, each time a suitable opportunity arises for passengers to disembark.
  5. Emirates will make sufficient resources available to implement this Plan.
  6. Emirates will coordinate this Plan with airport authorities, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Transportation Security Administration at all airports in the USA that Emirates serves (including diversion airports within the USA).
  7. Note that code-share flights operated by a different carrier will be covered by that carrier's tarmac delay plan when a lengthy tarmac delay occurs at an airport located within the USA.