'Saw My Mother In Her': Airport Employee Praised By Dubai Ruler Explains Why He Helps Travellers

The DXB employee who was recently appreciated by the Dubai Ruler for the compassionate way in which he treated an elderly wheelchair-bound passenger, said: "In this passenger, I saw my mother."

Abdullah Al Baloushi said that it is his practice to be kind to everyone passing through the airport .

“It is hardwired in the DNA of DXB to be kind to passengers and help them to the best of our ability,” Abdullah told Khaleej Times.“Especially when the passenger is elderly, you find that they are a little nervous about travel. A lot of times they are alone, and I like to chat with them to put them at ease. In this passenger, I saw my mother. I saw her waving to her son, who was outside. I called him in so that he could hug his mother once more before she left.”

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Abdullah's actions were described by the daughter-in-law of the passenger, Heba Mustafa Saleh, a radio jockey on Dubai's Alarabiya 99 station. A video clip of her describing her family's interaction with Abdullah was later shared by Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on his X platform, saying,“A salute to whoever brings a smile or joy to a traveller's heart. This is the Dubai we want."

“I cried”

Abdullah said that he wasn't aware that his actions had become viral until much later.“I was sleeping at home after my night shift,” he said.“When I woke up, there were 10 missed calls from my office. I got confused and called them back. They asked if I knew what had happened. When I replied that I didn't, they asked me to check X and that is when I saw that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid had shared the video about me. When I saw it, honestly, I cried. I was so happy and thankful.”

An employee of DXB for over 17 years, Abdullah said that he loved his job.“Every day I go into work with a smile on my face,” he said.“I get to interact with so many people and help them with their journey. I get to be on the frontline of receiving people into my beautiful country and bid them farewell with the hopes that they will come back again.”

He said that along with himself, every colleague of his went above and beyond their duty to ensure that passengers at DXB got the best service.“Whether it is at the immigration department or the police or the baggage counters, we try to ensure that people passing through the airport are taken care of well,” he said

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