Ultimate Airport Dubai (2013) s01e04 Episode Script

1
NARRATOR: Dubai International Airport,
one of the fastest-growing
airports on the planet,
and aiming to be number one.
Cleared for takeoff.
NARRATOR: But perfection is never easy.
Final call, Emirates to Sydney.
Gatwick, Amsterdam.
NARRATOR: More planes
The flight has departed.
(crying)
NARRATOR: more passengers
Absolutely ridiculous.
I need extra manpower
here at transfer desk.
NARRATOR: and massive
construction just to keep up.
So much scaffolding everywhere,
nothing is finished.
NARRATOR: It's nonstop.
(whistles)
If you don't love it,
it's just going to kill you.
NARRATOR: 24/7.
I think it's stuck.
One, two, three, push!
NARRATOR: It's the job
of 60,000 staff from all over the world
It's either you can deliver
or you're out of the building.
NARRATOR: to make this
the ultimate airport.
Hello, good morning.
NARRATOR: Every day, 158,000 passengers
pass through Dubai International Airport.
Behind the scenes,
60,000 people from across the globe
are working around the clock to keep the
airport safe, secure, and on schedule.
Customs officers, engineers, police,
every one of them is essential.
From safety to sick bags,
there are thousands of vital tasks
that most travelers don't even notice.
It's 11:30 p.m. and flight EK762
from Johannesburg has got a problem.
The captain has radioed ahead,
reporting two abusive passengers onboard.
Mel Sabharwal is rushing
to meet the flight.
Okay, it's on ground. Yeah?
Okay, thanks, we're on our way.
The flight's just landed,
so we need to get there
as quickly as we can.
We've brought the police
with us as well, just in case,
because we really don't know
what to expect when we get there.
NARRATOR: And she's brought backup,
airport services officer Gamal Saad.
And group security will be
waiting for us? Right?
MEL: Yes.
NARRATOR: Mel is responsible for ensuring
that all passenger incidents
are resolved quickly.
But every case is different.
MEL: Just go onboard
and speak to the crew, um,
and find out exactly what's happened,
if there's been any physical
or verbal abuse
and to see the extent of, uh--
If there is any damage on the aircraft.
(chattering)
- How are you today?
- I'm good, good. Um--
Who was dealing with those passengers?
Was it yourself?
- I was dealing, and these persons were.
- Okay.
- Just one minute, I need to call.
- Sure.
Because they're sitting
somewhere in the aft cabin.
Okay.
NARRATOR: Mel soon discovers the incident
is bigger than initial reports suggested.
Can you explain to me what happened
with these three gentlemen now,
'cause we initially thought
it was only two, but it's three now.
Yeah, three.
I think they had a lot of alcohol
even before the flight.
- Okay.
- Which we didn't know about it.
So during the flight,
they have a couple of drinks
and they start getting aggressive,
start abusing the crew.
They keep shouting,
abusing the customers around them.
NARRATOR: Gamal and security
go to collect the three unruly passengers.
They could be in serious trouble.
Under UAE law, endangering the safety
of an aircraft through violent behavior
is punishable by up to life imprisonment.
MEL:
So there's no damage to the aircraft--
No damage.
Nothing that you guys feel
need to be reported
in terms of the police
intervention at this stage.
NARRATOR: Mel is satisfied that the
passengers haven't broken the law,
but they aren't in the clear yet.
They have connecting flights to India,
but if they don't sober up, they won't be
allowed to continue their journey.
Right, Gamal, let's go.
NARRATOR: And it's Mel who has
the authority to decide their fate.
(chattering)
Okay, what happened onboard?
Explain to me what happened.
We don't make any mistake.
Okay. Are you all
still feeling sick or you're okay?
Are you okay?
You were vomiting, yes, yes.
Vomiting here, vomiting there.
Okay, and what about you two?
Did you eat something onboard?
Yeah? Did you-- Did you have
some drinks as well?
I take two water and one beer.
Really? Only one beer, huh?
Only one beer and then two waters
and Johnnie Walker Red Label.
Oh, sorry, sorry, what was
that other one you said?
NARRATOR: Thankfully for Mel,
the passengers are good-natured.
We'll continue this discussion
once we get back to the airport.
Okay?
And we'll talk about
your next flight, okay?
You need to sit down 'cause we haven't
stopped yet. Yeah, sit down.
MEL: It's all very easy to get on an
aircraft and have a couple of drinks,
you're going on a holiday, and it can
get a little bit out of control.
I'm pretty certain these people
won't do it very often
once they realize the severe situation
that could arise from that.
NARRATOR: Suddenly,
Mel gets news of another inbound flight
with problems onboard.
And that's at Fox 16, yeah?
Okay, so, um, I'll take group security.
I've got police with me anyway,
just in case.
NARRATOR:
And this time, it sounds serious.
Welcome, please.
NARRATOR: Over in customs,
Humaid Mohammad Alhaj has just started
another eight-hour shift.
I'm the duty officer.
My team is good, and they are working.
NARRATOR: Humaid and his 25-strong team
must be constantly on the lookout
for anything suspicious.
Hello.
(speaking Arabic)
NARRATOR:
Four and a half hours into his shift,
Humaid gets a call from
one of his inspectors.
(speaking Arabic)
(in Arabic) Has he got something on him?
NARRATOR: During a spot check,
the team have discovered
a statue in a passenger's bag.
(in English) I have to check it,
because maybe they are bringing it from a
museum or somewhere like that.
It's not allowed.
(in Arabic) Have you got it from there?
Did you buy it there?
Yes, I bought it
from the hotel I stayed in.
It looks very old.
NARRATOR: As well as checking to see
if the statue is a smuggled antiquity,
it will be x-rayed to see if it's hollow.
Artifacts like this are sometimes used
to hide illegal substances.
For Humaid and his team,
the war on drugs is a daily battle.
The UAE is increasingly
being targeted by criminals
as a trafficking point
for drug mules carrying heroin.
And in Dubai, drug smuggling
is punishable by death.
(in English) They keep it inside
the statue, inside anything.
Maybe they are keeping it
in their mobile phone,
maybe they are keeping it in their laptop.
We have to check it.
They are very smart.
NARRATOR: With such cunning techniques,
the team can never be too careful,
even with the most innocent-looking
tourist souvenir.
That one is okay. There is no problem.
(in Arabic) Anyone who looks at this will
think that it's a real antique.
It's true. It looks like an original.
NARRATOR: At another search desk,
a passenger is being questioned
by one of the inspectors.
The man has told them
he's staying in Dubai for a few weeks,
but the inspector is suspicious
as he's traveling on his own
and doesn't have much luggage.
(in English) I have to check his body.
Maybe he has something.
Body scan room is there, in the corner.
NARRATOR: With the stakes so high,
drug mules often swallow
their illegal cargo
in the hope of evading detection.
It looks like a capsule.
Some passengers bring in
20 pieces, maybe 70 pieces.
Somebody brings a hundred pieces
in their stomach.
NARRATOR: Dubai International
has invested millions of dollars
in cutting-edge body scanners
to combat traffickers.
Now we are waiting to finish the scan.
He will see his body
from inside his stomach.
Maybe he has something.
NARRATOR:
The suspect passenger will be detained
while the customs team
wait for the results of his body scan.
If it shows he's carrying illegal drugs,
it could mean the death penalty.
(chattering)
NARRATOR:
Airport services manager Mel Sabharwal
is on her way to meet yet another flight
that has radioed ahead
with a problem passenger onboard.
MEL: We've got another situation
on another flight
that I urgently need to get to.
Okay, I'm on my way, I'm on my way.
Just give me a couple of minutes.
This gentleman, we've got
information from the crew to say that, uh,
he's been drinking onboard and he's
potentially verbally abusive with the crew
and he's not adhering to any of the safety
instructions in terms of seatbelts.
(man on radio, indistinct)
It appears that he's jumping from seat to
seat to seat to get away from the crew.
Three times, the captain's called via
our communications system, so--
And he suggested that
the passenger is very violent,
so we've got to be
a little bit cautious at this stage.
(chattering)
MEL: You do have to keep
your wits about you.
It can be very, very intimidating
because a situation could just kick off
without any warning.
NARRATOR: Mel decides
to send airport security onboard first
to deal with any immediate danger,
while she gets the lowdown from the crew.
A passenger next to him
was being insulted and sworn at.
He was mentioning his mother, his sister.
And this lasted for about
five hours, basically.
But unfortunately, it escalated.
Even during landing, he was standing up
in the middle of the aisle.
Just minutes, like,
seconds before touchdown,
he was just standing there, you know.
NARRATOR: It's been a distressing
five hour flight from Kolkata
for the crew and passengers,
and particularly for the man
sitting next to him.
MAN: He kept on pestering the staff
to give more and more alcohol.
All through the flight, I would say
for three, three and a half hours,
he was just abusing and swearing at me.
And there was a child across the aisle.
NARRATOR: The troublesome passenger
has moved to the cabin door.
What's the problem with you?
MEL: We'll tell you the problem.
Can you get your hand baggage first, yeah,
and then we'll tell you
what the problem is.
The situation's not very good onboard,
the gentleman's not being
cooperative at all.
We've had to call extra security personnel
and also the authorities
to try and at least calm him down.
NARRATOR: With this aircraft scheduled
to return to Kolkata
in just 90 minutes,
and the situation
still potentially volatile,
it's turning into a long night for Mel.
In the customs hall, the passenger who
arrived with suspiciously little luggage
is being given a body scan.
If the man is found to be a drug mule
by Humaid Mohammad Alhaj's
team of inspectors,
he could face the death penalty.
(in Arabic) Just take a seat there.
HUMAID (in English):
I think maybe there is something.
He's seen the photo, the scan.
He's seen there is something
that's not clear.
NARRATOR: The body scan is inconclusive,
but customs don't just rely
on state-of-the-art scanning equipment
worth millions of dollars.
Sometimes simple mind games
can work just as well.
If the photo is not clear,
we give the passenger a cup of water.
Because if he has
something in his stomach,
he will not drink the water.
If he drinks the water,
something will happen for him.
NARRATOR: Drug mules are told by
traffickers not to eat or drink anything
until they reach their final destination.
If the passenger's stomach
is full of drug capsules,
any fluid intake might cause him
to start passing his cargo too soon.
Now he's coming with the passenger.
He wants to give him a cup of water.
And we'll know if he has something
or he doesn't have anything
in his stomach.
NARRATOR:
The man may have drunk the water,
but the team still aren't satisfied.
Luckily, the water has another benefit.
They will scan his body
a second time after the water.
Because he wants to see
the scan very clearly,
more than before.
NARRATOR:
Now, with water in his stomach,
the scanned image will be more defined.
(in Arabic) When you have finished doing
this, keep him there for a bit, not alone.
Okay, I understand.
NARRATOR:
The man's fate hangs in the balance.
If he is smuggling drugs, he could pay
the ultimate price for his crime.
What's the situation?
I'll let you know in a minute.
Have you got anything on him?
The scan is not showing anything on him.
Do you want me to get him out?
So you're happy there's nothing on him?
(in English) Now he said it's okay.
There's nothing in his body.
NARRATOR: The passenger's ordeal is over
and he's free to leave.
(in English) No problem. Welcome to Dubai.
(in Arabic) God be with you.
(in English) Where is the taxi stand?
Gate number one.
- Gate number one?
- Ah.
(radio chatter)
(no audible dialogue)
NARRATOR: Out on the tarmac,
airport services manager Mel Sabharwal
is dealing with a sensitive situation
on inbound flight EK573 from Kolkata.
(chattering)
NARRATOR: A man who has abused
his fellow passengers during the flight
is still causing trouble.
MEL: We could see as soon
as the aircraft doors opened
that it was a potentially threatening
situation for everyone involved.
NARRATOR: And his unpredictable behavior
is preventing other passengers
from leaving the plane,
holding up the turnaround
of the whole aircraft
and threatening disruption
for the airline.
We've now got him segregated
in the business class cabin,
and it looks like we may
have to try and get him off the aircraft
with some amount of persuasion.
NARRATOR: Mel needs to resolve
this highly charged situation fast.
MEL: You've got to be calm because
if you do become a little bit aggressive,
then that can elevate the situation
to something that's not very nice at all.
NARRATOR: It takes Mel and her colleagues
30 minutes of patient negotiation
to remove the passenger from the aircraft
and hand him over to the police.
If he's convicted of endangering
the safety of the flight,
he could face life imprisonment.
Mel's night isn't over yet.
She still has to decide the fate
of the two remaining passengers
who arrived from Johannesburg
three hours ago.
Their drinking buddy
has already been declared fit for travel.
If they haven't sobered up,
they could pose a safety risk
and will not be allowed
to board their onward flight to India.
Mel must make the call.
- Did you have any more drinks?
- No.
Are you sure? Nothing?
When I go on the flight, then I take more.
No, you won't be allowed.
(indistinct)
The crew will not give you
any more drinks.
Okay.
- That's okay with you?
- Okay, then.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
Um, just to let you know, the crew will
not be serving you any drinks onboard.
I don't want to drink anything.
MEL: Just sleep.
GAMAL: You've had enough? Good.
But you're okay now, right?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
NARRATOR: The two men happily board
their dry flight home.
After several hours in a police cell,
the abusive passenger from Kolkata,
a senior vice president
of a financial corporation,
escaped prosecution.
But he was banned
from his connecting Emirates flight.
It's 7:00 a.m., rush hour.
The overnight flights are landing.
At gate B29, Nizel Fernandes
is waiting to meet a 380-800,
the biggest passenger jet in the world,
arriving from London.
NIZEL: Just coming there.
This one is a tight turnaround
for Emirates.
NARRATOR: Nizel is responsible for every
detail of getting this plane ready
for its next departure to Munich,
from guaranteeing the plane
is safe to depart
to ensuring there are
enough meals onboard.
He has just two hours
and five minutes to do it all.
Right now the priority is
to get our passengers on-time off,
and the baggage off the aircraft
as soon as possible.
NARRATOR: Turning an A380 around involves
50 people carrying out vital tasks,
with each procedure timed to the minute.
The whole process takes
a minimum of an hour and 45 minutes.
Nizel has an additional 20 minutes of
contingency should anything go wrong.
NIZEL: There's always a time set.
I have three minutes
to connect both the bridges,
but that does not mean
I will compromise on any safety.
- Hi there.
- MAN: How are you?
Hello.
Okay. All right.
I was very lucky. We have a colleague
who's putting in the other bridge,
so we have met the deadline
of three minutes.
NARRATOR: First target hit.
Hi, guys.
How are you?
- Hi.
- Good morning.
All good?
- All good.
- Yeah?
NARRATOR:
Azita Nelson and her team of 20 cleaners
are among over 50 people descending
on this aircraft to turn it around.
They have exactly 45 minutes
to get this super jumbo jet
spotless for its next passengers.
You know that this one
is a quick turnaround, right?
So everybody has to work hard.
Harder!
We have ten minutes
for the passengers to get off,
so in the meanwhile,
I'm going to make sure their baggage,
our priority passengers'
baggage, goes on time as well.
Good morning, Morsy, how are you?
- All okay?
- All okay.
Good, good, good.
Priority's in front, right?
- Yeah.
- All right.
Yeah.
The aircraft is on stand
almost now 11 minutes.
I can see the catering trucks coming in.
I can also see the cleaners.
We have the catering staff as well,
and I can see passengers
getting off pretty much at a rapid pace,
so I am very much on time right now.
NARRATOR: Outside, things are going well.
Hi.
Oh, you've got a wheelchair still.
NARRATOR: But up in the cabin,
things have ground to a halt.
A passenger who needs special assistance
is still waiting to leave the plane.
Until all passengers disembark,
the cleaners can't board.
The clock is ticking.
It's a quick turnaround,
we've got to, we've got to
Just one moment, please,
yeah, just one moment.
(sighs)
NARRATOR: Dubai International is home
to the largest fleet of A380s
in the world.
With each of these aircraft
costing nearly 400 million dollars,
to keep them in tip-top condition,
a crack team of over 200 engineers
work day and night
in one of the biggest
civil aviation complexes on earth.
Got our steering lockout.
NARRATOR: Today, the engineers
are checking the wheels
of one of these giants.
All the hoses back here are good.
- Any leaks, no?
- No, dry as a bone, mate.
- What about the brakes, sir?
- Good over here.
NARRATOR: One of the most
important checks is on its tires.
This one looks all right.
NARRATOR: The condition of
each of the 22 tires on an A380
is crucial to the safety of the aircraft.
If the tires blow out, they rip apart,
and then they bang off and hit the flaps
and wings and all sorts of stuff,
and it's really bad.
NARRATOR: With the stakes so high,
the team can't take any chances.
Did you find any wheel to be changed, no?
So far, no.
No, so far the tires look good.
We'll go over to the wing, hey?
They look good.
Mate, this one doesn't look too good.
A bit worn.
- Where is it?
- What do you reckon?
- Yeah.
- Not good.
DARYN: There you go.
Looks like you got a job.
We have a limit that we look for.
Basically the tread,
we have a set depth that we can go to.
And, uh, that tire is beyond that limit.
NARRATOR: While this aircraft
is grounded, it's costing money.
The team can't waste any time.
Out on the airport's apron,
it's just an hour and 48 minutes
until this A380 must depart for Munich,
and aircraft appearance manager
Azita Nelson is getting anxious.
Hurry up!
NARRATOR: A passenger is still waiting for
assistance to disembark the plane.
Sorry, if you can do it fast,
please, yeah?
NARRATOR: With just 45 minutes
allotted to her to clean
one the largest passenger jets
in the world,
she's losing valuable time.
About 42 minutes.
NARRATOR: Outside, things are going well
for ground dispatcher Nizel Fernandes.
We have our priority released on time,
we opened the doors on time.
So everything going as per plan.
NARRATOR:
Finally, the cleaners are onboard.
We lost about ten minutes on this flight,
um, so the guys have to work harder.
NARRATOR:
No matter how dirty the plane is,
the cleaners must hit their deadline.
Delays at this stage
could create a snowball effect.
You know we only have
40 minutes on this flight, right?
NARRATOR:
With over 500 seats onboard this A380,
Azita's team have got
their work cut out for them.
Every seat must be swept and vacuumed.
Every headrest cover and pillow changed.
They can't afford to slip behind.
Delayed cleaning means
crew delayed making their checks,
passengers delayed boarding,
the plane delayed taking off.
Let's do it, guys.
If anybody is a little bit in slow motion
because it's early in the morning,
I'm going to push them.
Do it faster.
Okay, how many toilets
are you going to clean?
Three toilets?
Three toilets in three minutes? (laughs)
Come on, you can do it!
I know you can do it.
Guys, you can't wait,
you've got to hurry up, okay?
No talking.
NARRATOR: The inbound crew are now off,
and so is the passenger baggage.
NIZEL:
Last connecting bag is released.
We've been here for 30 minutes,
and four of our main activities are over.
The arrival, BT baggage released,
caterers, cleaners onboard, crew off.
We're doing good.
NARRATOR:
One hour, 26 minutes to pushback,
and it's looking like
a smooth turnaround for Nizel.
All our connecting passengers
have actually just arrived.
The last one just came in a minute back,
so we have all our connections
in on ground.
So this flight is looking very good.
I have a plan here which is done.
MOHAMMED MORSY: Calling Nizel.
Go ahead, Morsy, go ahead.
(on radio)
We're going to need engineering here.
I've got one cargo container base damaged.
Are you not able
to offload the cargo unit?
The base of the container is damaged.
Copy, copy. I'll ask for one.
I'll ask for one.
We were just saying
nothing is going wrong,
there's always something
going other than we planned.
(indistinct)
So it's a base damage.
I mean, it's just stuck,
it's getting stuck?
You checked it?
NARRATOR: Nizel's in trouble.
Until this container is off,
he can't load the cargo bound for Munich.
The knock-on effect could be huge.
(speaking in Hindi)
NIZEL: Did you get stuck there?
Ah, get it, get it, get it, get it!
No, no, this one is getting stuck here.
Now, we can have to--
Do you have anything to lift it?
NARRATOR:
One hour, 13 minutes to pushback.
NIZEL: Double trouble for you.
NARRATOR: Meanwhile, inside the cabin,
Azita has her team going at full speed.
Guys, we've got to work faster.
We have only 20 minutes. 20 minutes.
Faster, faster, faster.
I like my team.
They are so positive, you know.
They never say no.
They always say, "We will try,
we will try," you know.
So they're going to start putting
the headrest covers now.
We got only 12 minutes
to complete the cleaning.
NARRATOR: But outside,
Nizel's precious
20 minutes contingency in his schedule
is fast disappearing.
The cargo crate's still stuck.
Ah! Open it, open it, open it!
NARRATOR: Over in engineering,
they're changing an A380's tire,
but it's not as simple
as changing a car tire.
Phase one, lift 20 tons off the ground.
There we go.
It's only really supporting
the weight of one bogie.
We're not going to jack up
the whole aircraft just for the wheel,
'cause the whole aircraft, even empty,
weighs a couple of hundred ton.
NARRATOR:
Phase two, getting the wheel off safely.
Make sure you depressurize it, yeah?
You've got 200 psi in there.
That tire's got a very high
pressure in it.
It's held together with, uh,
one row of bolts.
- (air hissing)
- They can fail.
NARRATOR: There's no way
Daryn and the team can tell
if the crucial tie bolts that hold the two
halves of the wheel together
have stress fractures,
and so first, they must let
the air out of the worn tire,
reducing the pressure from more than 200
pounds per square inch to just 30.
(hissing continues)
DARYN: If those bolts had actually failed,
and we just took that nut off
without letting the pressure out,
and it's happened before,
half of the wheel is going to
blow straight off
with 200 pounds of force behind it.
You're dead. No doubt about it.
Ready to go?
NARRATOR:
A complete set of new wheels on an A380
will set you back nearly
two million dollars.
DARYN: It's not actually a brand new wheel
that we're putting on today.
We're putting on a brand new tire
with a wheel assembly
that we've put together.
That altogether
is 19,000, 20,000 US dollars.
NARRATOR: Fitting the new
255 kilogram tire is a delicate operation.
Slow, slow, slow, slow.
Push.
- Okay?
- Yeah, okay.
NARRATOR: Daryn and the team
will fit hundreds of tires every year.
Old tire's off, nice new tire on.
Got a good few landings to go now
before we have to do this
again on this wheel.
Beautiful.
NARRATOR: Dubai International
has two four-kilometer runways.
All day and all night,
planes touch down here.
Keeping the runway surface clean
is vital to safety.
Runway maintenance is the ultimate
responsibility of Chris Garton.
This work is critically important
both to passengers and aircraft.
If we didn't carry out the maintenance,
it just wouldn't be safe
for aircraft to land on.
NARRATOR: The biggest challenge
for the team is removing rubber deposits.
The work we're doing to remove rubber
is absolutely critical to safety.
NARRATOR: When a plane hits the tarmac
at around 240 kilometers per hour
the intensity of this impact
causes rubber from the plane's tires
to be deposited on the runway.
Leaving it there isn't an option.
If we weren't to remove the rubber,
the surface becomes so slippery,
it becomes like glass or like ice.
And the aircraft can't brake on it.
NARRATOR: To remove this menace,
they use something special,
a power hose, costing nearly
one million US dollars,
that blasts away the rubber
using high-pressured water jets.
And the machine is working well.
Okay, so that's pretty good.
On this part of the surface,
all of the rubber has been removed.
But there's a bit of rubber
here on the runway still,
and you can see the rubber on my fingers.
There'll be nobody sliding on that today.
But this is still
a little bit slippy here,
but we'll take that off with the next run.
NARRATOR: Without their specialist
rubber removal machine,
the team would seriously struggle with
the huge volume of rubber deposited.
We'll typically remove 40 kilograms of
rubber from each runway, each week.
That's 80 kilograms a week.
That's four tons or so in a year.
That's an awful lot of rubber.
NARRATOR:
With just one specialist machine,
they're only just able to cope
with this huge task.
The machine, I think,
has been quite reliable, hasn't it?
- So, I think, so that's good.
- Yes.
MAN: The machine is doing good, sir.
NARRATOR: But there's an extra pressure.
Dubai International operates
24 hours a day.
Maintenance can only take place
when the runway is closed.
And currently, the team are allocated
just four hours a week
to remove the rubber from each runway.
And there's a lot more rubber on the way.
Unparalleled growth will see the airport
welcoming up to 90 million
passengers a year by 2018.
To cope with all the extra flights,
Chris urgently needs to reduce
the time the runways are closed by 25%.
CHRIS: We've got to find a way of getting
more aircraft through these runways,
which means they need to be open longer.
If we could reduce
the closure time to three hours,
that would be a lot better.
MAN: Yes, sir.
But the reduction
from four hours to three hours
is becoming a real challenge
for people like us.
NARRATOR:
Back at the tight turnaround flight,
it's touch and go for ground dispatcher
Nizel's on-time departure.
One of the cargo crates
is stuck in the hold
and cannot be unloaded.
No, press this down.
NARRATOR:
It's holding up the entire operation.
(in Hindi) One minute, one minute!
NARRATOR: At last, the engineer arrives.
Okay.
NARRATOR: It's finally free.
NIZEL:
Hopefully, now this is the last one off,
so we are okay to start loading.
NARRATOR: Nizel is still just about
on course for an on-time departure.
He needs to start loading
the outbound cargo now.
I'm missing three units of cargo,
and once they are here,
our loading can start.
NARRATOR: But then a neighboring plane
starts pushing back,
throwing Nizel's plans off course.
Our last three units are just down there.
We are just waiting for
this aircraft to push back.
The aircraft takes the priority.
I mean, there's nothing
that can cross an aircraft.
So we've got to wait.
NARRATOR: Each small delay
piles pressure on Nizel
to meet the critical pushback deadline.
You can see the units coming in now.
All our cargo is here.
Now, it's all up to you.
Now, it's all up to you.
I'll see you in a little while, huh?
You let me know if anything, yeah?
Okay.
NARRATOR: In just 32 minutes,
Azita's team has collected
20 bags of rubbish from the plane.
Over 500 seats, 15 toilets,
and two showers
have been dusted, deodorized, and
disinfected with military efficiency.
AZITA: Um, it looks good,
the pillows are over,
the headrest covers are over, the blankets
and headsets are on the seats.
Yeah, the shower is done.
Toilet is done.
NARRATOR:
One hour, five minutes to pushback.
The cabin crew arrive
to begin their safety checks.
Guys, you've got to do fast.
Yeah, crew are here already.
We've got to finish, we've got to leave.
Thank you, yeah.
I will just need to go up to the captain,
have a word with him,
a short briefing.
NARRATOR:
One of Nizel's key responsibilities
is to keep the captain updated
on the turnaround's progress.
We are good to go.
Guys, very good job.
You done it in 40 minutes,
which is perfect.
NARRATOR:
Against the odds, Nizel's still on time,
but he's used all 20 minutes grace
for things to go wrong.
We're doing good. I'm going
to get my boarding clearance in a minute.
NARRATOR: To hit departure, everything
from now on must run like clockwork.
We are actually waiting for her
to give us a clearance.
She'll be doing her checks,
and then she should be able to
give us a boarding clearance.
NARRATOR: Before the passengers bound for
Munich can start to board the aircraft,
all safety equipment must be tested.
And it's taking longer than usual.
There's nothing Nizel can do but wait.
Out on the runway, the maintenance team
are still removing
the dangerous rubber deposits.
Their four hours are up.
But before the runway can be reopened,
it must be tested to check
the surface is not slippery.
A truck pulls a hi-tech
friction-measuring device
at a constant speed across
the whole area of the runway.
Onboard this trailer, a smooth-tired wheel
measures the friction it encounters.
These readings are recorded
by an onboard processor.
This is always a nerve-racking
time for the team.
CHRIS: Well, if the test results
are not good enough,
then we will have to come back
and remove the rubber
until the results are good enough.
It means the runway
will stay closed for longer.
That has a big impact on our operations.
Okay, how's it gone?
It's going good, good, doing fine.
Let's have a look.
You've got all green
and one section of blue.
This is good, these are good values, so
No red, that's a good sign.
Those results are great,
so the runway's safe to open,
so, thank you very much indeed. Take care.
NARRATOR: Job done, for this week.
It's just over 40 minutes to pushback,
and ground dispatcher Nizel
is still waiting patiently
for the cabin crew to complete
their safety checks.
They have taken more
than 20 minutes to do their board check,
but we've got to wait
for her to give me a boarding clearance.
NARRATOR:
Until the cabin crew are satisfied,
Nizel can't start boarding the plane.
And there's a problem.
One of the emergency
oxygen cylinders is missing.
Okay, but the girl that she checked,
she was missing one oxygen.
NARRATOR: For now,
Nizel has lost control of the schedule.
Okay, fine, thank you.
NARRATOR: Thirty-seven minutes to go.
(chattering)
We can start boarding.
All right, okay, thank you.
Okay, Hadia,
boarding clearance given, 2-9.
NARRATOR: Boarding begins 13 minutes late.
On average, it takes 40 minutes for all
516 passengers to board an Airbus A380,
and that's if they show up at the gate.
Nizel's chances of successfully achieving
an on-time departure to Munich
are slipping away.
Ask your staff to do our best
to try and accommodate,
as quickly as possible.
We can try to still get on time.
NARRATOR: But there's a glimmer of hope.
The flight's not full.
Nizel can claw back some time.
We still have 33 minutes
on the clock to go.
I am still aiming for an on-time.
NARRATOR: And the transit passengers'
luggage has arrived.
I have one, two, three, four, five, six.
Seven, and two went, eight, nine.
That's what I had planned.
Nine.
So all my baggage is here.
I am really looking good.
I am actually looking good.
This is really a good flight.
See, another one. 380 coming.
All 380 coming.
I love that aircraft,
look at that, that's huge.
I love that, I love this one as well.
(laughs)
Go ahead.
NARRATOR: With just 18 minutes to go,
Nizel's got word that the flight has
four potential no-shows.
Passengers who have checked in
but fail to make it to the gate
are one of the ground dispatcher's
worst nightmares.
Their already-loaded bags
present a security risk.
No airline will take off
with unaccompanied baggage onboard.
Nizel needs to identify
the missing passengers' luggage fast.
Most of the bags are in this one.
So I've asked him to keep it on standby.
NARRATOR: Drawing on his years of
experience as a ground dispatcher,
Nizel decides to preempt the situation
and put one cargo container aside.
All offloading is that one,
three bags, huh?
NARRATOR: But that means unloading
the whole crate to find the bags.
I'm just keeping it on standby
for the next five minutes.
Minus 15 minutes
Dawood, any update on
these passengers missing?
Passenger reported,
I'm accepting it just to save time.
NARRATOR: Twelve minutes to go,
and three of the four missing passengers
have finally made it to the gate.
Their bags go back onboard.
That's my last container, this is done.
I'm just waiting to close this one up.
I've got one passenger missing
who does not have any bags on the flight,
so I'm ready to close.
Minus three minutes,
all doors should be closed.
The TOD should be 356, plus one.
Zero, zero, zero.
He's already got a pushback.
There we go.
On time, on sked.
We made it.
Any day, in the middle of the night,
you tell me to dispatch a flight,
I will do it.
I love doing this.
Captioned by Pixelogic Media