Dubai Airport: After flooding pandemonium, the full schedule is back in place

Dubai Airport: After flooding pandemonium, the full schedule is back in place

People wait in line at Dubai International Airport's airline connecting desk the day after a storm caused floods across the United Arab Emirates.

Major airlines in Dubai have announced that they are back to operating a full schedule of flights after the deluge of rain that caused havoc at Dubai Airport in the United Arab Emirates and neighboring countries.

Although there was still a passenger backlog, Emirates and flydubai said that operations were back to normal on Saturday.

The CEO of Emirates acknowledged that the airline's reaction was not flawless.

Tuesday's storm, which caused flash floods and stopped airport traffic, pounded the United Arab Emirates.

Passengers whose travel arrangements were canceled would be given priority.

At Dubai International Airport, a flooded taxiway prevented flights from reaching the runway for takeoff, leaving passengers stuck in the terminal building.

"Passengers who were previously stranded in the airport transit area have been rebooked and are en route to their destinations," said Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates.

The airlines said in an open letter that was published on their website on Saturday that normal flight schedules have been reinstated, but it will take "some days" for them to get through the backlog of rebooked customers. To organize and transport the approximately 30,000 items of baggage that were left behind, a taskforce has also been formed.

"Apocalyptic" floods in Dubai rock the idyllic metropolis

After the UAE hurricane, delays at Dubai airport continue.

Travelers stuck in Dubai claim, "We're living on duty free."

"We ask for our customers' patience and understanding," Tim stated. He expressed regret to his clients and admitted that their reaction was not "perfect," blaming a lack of clarity and uncertainty in the terminals.

Travelers stranded at the airport earlier this week described the "pure chaos" they saw to the BBC.

Dubliner Sarah Jane Cahill was still at the airport on Friday night despite having intended to take her connecting aircraft from Sydney to Dublin on Thursday afternoon.

The airport, she said, was "a sea of bodies on every surface," with thousands of people left stranded.

She told the Press Association, "There were people sleeping on cardboard, on the floor outside bathrooms, in chairs, and couches."

The airline has delayed and canceled close to 400 flights in the last three days.

On Thursday, a few flights into the country started back up, but the departures were running late. Afterwards, they said that check-in for Emirates and flydubai flights was again open at Terminal 3.

In its Saturday travel update, Flydubai claimed that it has resumed running its entire daily schedule out of Terminals 2 and 3. Over the next four days, priority would be given to "passengers whose travel plans have been impacted."

In a similar vein, Emirates said that their priority was helping those who had travel delays.

In order to ensure that the attention was on the impacted consumers, Sir Tim continued, they had halted connecting passenger arrivals, embargoed ticket sales, and paused check-in for leaving passengers.

According to Paul Griffiths, the director of Dubai airports, departure flow is "improving" and planes are operating according to schedule.

In 2023, Dubai International Airport will handle over 80 million passengers, making it the second busiest airport globally. This year, the hub—a significant gateway linking Europe and Asia—is likely to have close to 90 million passes through.