Flydubai has said it is investigating the cause of the disruption at Dubai International Airport. Bloomberg
Flydubai has said it is investigating the cause of the disruption at Dubai International Airport. Bloomberg

Flydubai plane aborts take-off at Dubai International Airport, forcing 14 flight diversions



A flydubai aircraft aborted its take-off at Dubai International Airport on Friday morning. All passengers and crew left the plane safely, the airline said.

The service to Hargeisa International Airport, in Somalia, was due to leave the emirate at 3.55am. The incident caused 14 flights due to land in Dubai to be diverted to nearby airports.

The airline said all passengers would be given seats on a replacement flight, which was due to set off from Dubai at about 9.30am. Flydubai said the cause of the aborted take-off was under review.

"Flydubai Flight FZ 661 to Hargeisa International Airport suspended take-off on January 24 from Dubai International," a spokeswoman for flydubai said. "Our highly trained cabin crew followed established procedures and all passengers and crew evacuated the aircraft safely."

Normal service resumes

Dubai Airports said operations at the city's main airport were back to normal after the morning disruption.

"Dubai International has returned to normal operations following an operational disruption earlier this morning due to a suspended take-off of flydubai's flight [FZ 661]. The disruption resulted in the diversion of 14 inbound flights to nearby airports," Dubai Airports said in a statement.

"Dubai Airports regrets any inconvenience to our guests and is working with service partners to ensure their comfort and a seamless travel experience. Safety and service excellence remain our top priorities."

About Housecall

Date started: July 2020

Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: HealthTech

# of staff: 10

Funding to date: Self-funded

Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

The biog

Age: 19 

Profession: medical student at UAE university 

Favourite book: The Ocean at The End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman

Role model: Parents, followed by Fazza (Shiekh Hamdan bin Mohammed)

Favourite poet: Edger Allen Poe 

Updated: January 24, 2025, 8:21 AM