Flights Halted After Historic Rainfall Floods Dubai International Airport

A historic amount of rainfall in the U.A.E. flooded the runways and roads surrounding Dubai’s main airport on Tuesday, one of the busiest international gateways in the world, bringing inbound and outbound traffic to a halt.  

The AP reported on Wednesday that the city received 5.59 inches of rainfall, more than what it sees on an average year (less than 4 inches).  

According to Dubai Airport International Airport (DXB), while flights have started to resume, travelers are still facing “significant disruption” on Wednesday, as the airport attempts to dry itself out from Tuesday’s rainfall.

“We’re continuously working hard with our emergency response teams and service partners to restore normal operations as quickly as possible and provide support for guests. Flights are delayed and some diverted with many airlines impacted by displaced crew,” Dubai Airport wrote in a message on Tuesday.

“Recovery will take some time. Dubai Airports thanks its guests for their patience and understanding while it works through these operational challenges.”

The airport is still telling travelers “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,” it added.

Emirates, the largest carrier at DXB, has suspended check-in for passengers departing from DXB through midnight on April 17. Emirates is still processing arriving passengers and is alerting everyone that they “can expect delays to departures and arrivals, and are advised to check” with their airlines before heading to the airport.

“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused. Emirates is working hard to restore our scheduled operations, and our teams will provide all possible support to affected customers,” it said.

Flydubai says it has partially resumed flights on Wednesday from Terminal 2 and plans to do the same from Terminal 3 at 8 p.m. local time on Wednesday night. The carrier says it is still working to get back on a regular schedule.

“Due to the impact of the severe weather conditions in the UAE on our operations and the ongoing challenging road conditions, there have been further flight cancellations today,” flydubai said on Wednesday. “We are working very hard to restore our operating schedule and minimize the disruption to our passengers’ travel itineraries to get them to their final destination safely.”