'Don’t Come Unless...': Dubai Airport's Appeal Amid Heavy Rainfall; India Flights Impacted

‘don’t come unless…’: dubai airport’s appeal amid heavy rainfall; india flights impacted

Dubai: Heavy rains flooded airport, malls, and streets in Dubai, bringing normal life to a halt. Flight operations were affected due to the sudden deluge and several flight were diverted/cancelled, causing inconvenience to passengers.

The Dubai International (DXB) diverted all inbound flights that were due to arrive on Tuesday due to the inclement weather situation. The world’s busiest airport for international passengers, DBX urged passengers to not come to the airport ‘unless absolutely necessary’. Flights departing from Dubai carried on as usual.

“We advise you NOT to come to the airport, unless absolutely necessary. Flights continue to be delayed and diverted. Please check your flight status directly with your airline. We are working hard to recover operations as quickly as possible in very challenging conditions,” the Dubai Airport said in a tweet.

“Flights continue to be delayed and diverted. Please check your flight status directly with your airline. We are working hard to recover operations as quickly as possible in very challenging conditions,” the airport authorities said in a tweet.

The UAE witnessed a record rainfall on Tuesday, with the National Center of Meteorology reporting that 254 mm fell in Al-Ain in fewer than 24 hours. This is the highest level since records began in 1949.

More than 500 flights, both arriving and departing, have faced diversions, delays, or cancellations due to rains and storms, which are expected to continue on Wednesday as well. The Dubai airport website showed until midnight. The airport’s website showed extensive delays for some flights.

Around 15 flights to Dubai and 13 flights to India have reportedly been cancelled.

“There is major flooding on roads leading to the airport and forecasts indicate that the unsettled weather will continue till tomorrow morning. Remember to check your flight status with your airline, allow significant extra travel time to the airport,” the DXB said in several posts on its X page.

The airport confirmed a halt to arrivals at 7:26 pm (local time) and announced that operations will resume gradually more than two hours later.

Carriers flydubai and Emirates have announced cancellations of their flights. All flydubai flights scheduled for departure from Dubai on April 16 have been cancelled until 10am on April 17, according to Khaleej Times.

“Due to adverse weather conditions, multiple flights to and from DXB are experiencing delays or disruptions. We are working hard to get all affected passengers to their final destination safely, and will provide updates as soon as possible,” carrier Emirates said in a post and shared links to their internal website, urging passengers to keep checking their flight status.