Dubai Floods Update: Emirates & Flydubai Resume Operations After Airport Chaos

Normal operations have been resumed by Dubai's flagship carrier Emirates and its sister airline flydubai after severe flooding affected the United Arab Emirates earlier this week, according to statements released by the airlines on Saturday.

A record storm that hit Dubai on Tuesday resulted in the cancellation of nearly 400 flights by Emirates and significant delays, as reported in a statement released by the airline's president, Tim Clark.

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Emirates & Flydubai Resume Operations

Due to the storm's impact, check-in for departing passengers from Dubai was suspended by the airline, and its transit operations through Dubai International Airport, a major global travel hub, were halted, leaving thousands of travellers stranded, as reported by Hindustan Times citing AFP.

Flydubai also returned to its full flight schedule from Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 at the airport on Saturday following the weather-related disruption, according to a spokesperson for the airline.

Emirates provided 12,000 hotel rooms and 250,000 meal vouchers to affected customers, as stated by Clark. He also mentioned that it would take days to clear the backlog of rebooked passengers.

The UAE has been dealing with the aftermath of flooding for several days, with roads between Dubai and Abu Dhabi still partially underwater as of Saturday. In Abu Dhabi, some supermarkets and restaurants experienced product shortages due to the inability to receive deliveries from Dubai, as reported by Hindustan Times.

Researchers have linked extreme weather events like Tuesday's storm to climate change and anticipate that global warming will lead to higher temperatures, increased humidity, and a greater risk of flooding in parts of the Gulf region.

The lack of adequate drainage infrastructure to handle heavy rains in countries like the UAE can put them at heightened risk of flooding during such weather events.