Flooding at Dubai International Airport, where 1,244 flights were cancelled and 41 diverted over two days. Photo: FL360aero
Flooding at Dubai International Airport, where 1,244 flights were cancelled and 41 diverted over two days. Photo: FL360aero
Flooding at Dubai International Airport, where 1,244 flights were cancelled and 41 diverted over two days. Photo: FL360aero
Flooding at Dubai International Airport, where 1,244 flights were cancelled and 41 diverted over two days. Photo: FL360aero

Dubai airport chief says normal operations to resume in 24 hours following storm chaos


Patrick Ryan
  • English
  • Arabic

Normal services will resume within 24 hours at Dubai International Airport, its operator said on Thursday evening.

Majed Al Joker, Dubai Airports' chief operating officer, said the airport would return to full capacity and a regular schedule within that time frame, state news agency Wam reported.

The airport was plunged into chaos when severe storms on Tuesday forced flights to be cancelled, delayed and, in some cases, diverted to other airports.

“Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 have already begun gradual normalisation, resulting in smoother movement,” he said.

“The airport's response and emergency teams, various departments and strategic partners and airlines have worked extensively to co-ordinate efforts to return to normal on the one hand, and to support and assist affected passengers and guests on the other.”

Dozens of passengers wait at Dubai Airport after flights were delayed or cancelled due to heavy rain. AFP
Dozens of passengers wait at Dubai Airport after flights were delayed or cancelled due to heavy rain. AFP

Organisations from the public and private sectors were working constantly to improve the situation at Dubai International Airport (DXB), he added.

Mr Al Joker commended “the dedicated staff for their tireless work in ensuring guest comfort and safety, expressing gratitude for travellers' understanding during this period”.

A total of 1,244 flights were cancelled at DXB and 41 diverted over two days, due to heavy rain and flooding on the runways, officials said on Thursday.

The airport halted operations for 25 minutes on Wednesday.

On Thursday, DXB said it was again receiving inbound flights at Terminal 1, while Emirates and flydubai opened check-in for passengers at Terminal 3.

At the beginning of the week, the country witnessed its heaviest rainfall since records began 75 years ago.

Some areas recorded more than 250mm of rain in less than 24 hours.

Safety is 'utmost priority'

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, said the safety of residents, citizens and visitors was of the “utmost priority”.

In a post shared to X on Thursday, Sheikh Hamdan said he had met government officials to prepare comprehensive plans to respond to natural crises such as unexpected weather.

“We closely monitored updates and emphasised that the safety of all citizens, residents, and visitors is our utmost priority,” Sheikh Hamdan wrote.

“Dubai's resilience grows with every challenge, ensuring we continuously adapt, improve and progress for the sake of our people's safety.”

Road to recovery

Despite the extreme weather that brought much of the country to a standstill, especially Dubai, there were strong signs of recovery on Thursday.

Dubai's Road and Transport Authority announced the city's taxis and buses were back in operation.

However, all intercity bus services between Dubai and other emirates remained suspended until further notice due to the unstable weather.

Key stretches of road also reopened, including parts of Oud Metha Road, Emirates Road (partially open at the Al Qudra intersection), Jebel Ali to Lehbab Road, Al Qudra Road (from Emirates Road to Jebel Ali – Lehbab Road), Al Khail Road (from Garn Al Sabkha Street to Al Mustaqbal Street) and Al Wasl Road.

A key stretch of Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai also reopened.

The transport authority said the route from the Trade Centre roundabout to Al Maktoum Airport Street, towards Abu Dhabi, was open to traffic.

The Dubai Metro service was operational again on some Red and Green routes, officials said on Thursday.

The Red line routes from Centrepoint station to Business Bay station, and Jebel Ali station to Expo 2020 station were fully operational.

On the Green line, passengers could again use the route from Etisalat by e& station to Abu Hail station and Creek station to Gold Souq station.

All other affected stations offered bus services for commuters.

Sharjah Airport resumed operations after the heavy storm swept through the emirate causing major travel disruption.

The airport, which is home to budget airline Air Arabia, said travellers should check flight details with their airlines, state news agency Wam reported.

Passengers were advised to only travel to the airport if they have a confirmed booking.

SPECS
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Company profile

Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

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Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

THE SIXTH SENSE

Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Rating: 5/5

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
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APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

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WISH
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20profile%20
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UAE squad

Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.

UAE tour of Zimbabwe

All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I

SQUADS

Bangladesh (from): Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mahmudullah Riyad, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das, Taijul Islam, Mosaddek Hossain, Nayeem Hasan, Mehedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadat Hossain, Abu Jayed

Afghanistan (from): Rashid Khan (capt), Ihsanullah Janat, Javid Ahmadi, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Ikram Alikhil, Mohammad Nabi, Qais Ahmad, Sayed Ahmad Shirzad, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zahir Khan Pakteen, Afsar Zazai, Shapoor Zadran

THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS

Estijaba – 8001717 –  number to call to request coronavirus testing

Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111

Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre

Emirates airline – 600555555

Etihad Airways – 600555666

Ambulance – 998

Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries

The%20Boy%20and%20the%20Heron
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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SERIE A FIXTURES

Saturday (UAE kick-off times)

Atalanta v Juventus (6pm)

AC Milan v Napoli (9pm)

Torino v Inter Milan (11.45pm)

Sunday

Bologna v Parma (3.30pm)

Sassuolo v Lazio (6pm)

Roma v Brescia (6pm)

Verona v Fiorentina (6pm)

Sampdoria v Udinese (9pm)

Lecce v Cagliari (11.45pm)

Monday

SPAL v Genoa (11.45pm)

UAE FIXTURES

October 18 – 7.30pm, UAE v Oman, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 19 – 7.30pm, UAE v Ireland, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 21 – 2.10pm, UAE v Hong Kong, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 22 – 2.10pm, UAE v Jersey, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 24 – 10am, UAE v Nigeria, Abu Dhabi Cricket Oval 1
October 27 – 7.30pm, UAE v Canada, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

October 29 – 2.10pm, Playoff 1 – A2 v B3; 7.30pm, Playoff 2 – A3 v B2, at Dubai International Stadium.
October 30 – 2.10pm, Playoff 3 – A4 v Loser of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Playoff 4 – B4 v Loser of Play-off 2 at Dubai International Stadium

November 1 – 2.10pm, Semifinal 1 – B1 v Winner of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Semifinal 2 – A1 v Winner of Play-off 2 at Dubai International Stadium
November 2 – 2.10pm, Third place Playoff – B1 v Winner of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Final, at Dubai International Stadium

Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Director: Venkat Prabhu
Rating: 2/5
Mica

Director: Ismael Ferroukhi

Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani

3 stars

Juliet, Naked
Dir: Jesse Peretz
Starring: Chris O'Dowd, Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​Two stars

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

Brief scores:

Liverpool 3

Mane 24', Shaqiri 73', 80'

Manchester United 1

Lingard 33'

Man of the Match: Fabinho (Liverpool)

Company%20Profile
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Updated: April 18, 2024, 6:56 PM`