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.

The biog

Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns

Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins

Food of choice: Sushi  

Favourite colour: Orange

House-hunting

Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove

  1. Edinburgh, Scotland 
  2. Westminster, London 
  3. Camden, London 
  4. Glasgow, Scotland 
  5. Islington, London 
  6. Kensington and Chelsea, London 
  7. Highlands, Scotland 
  8. Argyll and Bute, Scotland 
  9. Fife, Scotland 
  10. Tower Hamlets, London 

 

MATCH INFO

Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')

Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)

The schedule

December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club

December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq

December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm

December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition

December 13: Falcon beauty competition

December 14 and 20: Saluki races

December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm

December 16 - 19: Falconry competition

December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am

December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am

December 22: The best herd of 30 camels

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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%3Cp%3EAverage%20amount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20at%20DIC%20factory%20every%20month%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EApproximately%20106%2C000%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAmount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20from%201%20litre%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%20%3Cstrong%3E920ml%20(92%25)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETime%20required%20for%20one%20full%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%20used%20cooking%20oil%20to%20biofuel%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EOne%20day%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EEnergy%20requirements%20for%20one%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%201%2C000%20litres%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%96%AA%20Electricity%20-%201.1904%20units%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Water-%2031%20litres%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Diesel%20%E2%80%93%2026.275%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlanRadar%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2013%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EIbrahim%20Imam%2C%20Sander%20van%20de%20Rijdt%2C%20Constantin%20K%C3%B6ck%2C%20Clemens%20Hammerl%2C%20Domagoj%20Dolinsek%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVienna%2C%20Austria%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EConstruction%20and%20real%20estate%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E400%2B%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20B%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Headline%2C%20Berliner%20Volksbank%20Ventures%2C%20aws%20Gr%C3%BCnderfonds%2C%20Cavalry%20Ventures%2C%20Proptech1%2C%20Russmedia%2C%20GR%20Capital%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results

Final: Iran beat Spain 6-3.

Play-off 3rd: UAE beat Russia 2-1 (in extra time).

Play-off 5th: Japan beat Egypt 7-2.

Play-off 7th: Italy beat Mexico 3-2.

The Bio

Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity

Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier

Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman

The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August

 

Group A

Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar

 

Group B

UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia

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Overall head-to-head

Federer 6-1 Cilic

Head-to-head at Wimbledon

Federer 1-0 Cilic

Grand Slams titles

Federer 18-1 Cilic

Best Wimbledon performance

Federer: Winner (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012)
Cilic: Final (2017*)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

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The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

Results:

6.30pm: Handicap (Turf) | US$175,000 2,410m | Winner: Bin Battuta, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer)

7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (Dirt) | $100,000 1,400m | Winner: Al Hayette, Fabrice Veron, Ismail Mohammed

7.40pm: Handicap (T) $145,000 1,000m | Winner: Faatinah, Jim Crowley, David Hayes

8.15pm: Dubawi Stakes Group 3 (D) $200,000 1,200m | Winner: Raven’s Corner, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

8.50pm: Singspiel Stakes Group 3 (T) $200,000 1,800m | Winner: Dream Castle, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor

9.25pm: Handicap (T) $175,000 1,400m​​​ | Winner: Another Batt, Connor Beasley, George Scott

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
  1. Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
  2. Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
  3. Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
  4. Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
  5. Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
  6. The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
  7. Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269

*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champioons League semi-final:

First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2

Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)

The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3

Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)

Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)

Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)

Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)

Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)

Updated: April 18, 2024, 6:56 PM`