Emirates and flydubai resume normal operations after Dubai floods

Dubai's flagship carrier Emirates and sister airline flydubai have restored normal operations after heavy rains caused severe flooding across the UAE earlier this week, the airlines said on Saturday.

Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, has announced that the airline's regular flight schedules have been restored as of today (Saturday). 

In a statement, Clark said that passengers previously stranded in the airport transit area have been rebooked and are en route to their destinations. "We have put together a task force to sort, reconcile, and deliver some 30,000 pieces of left-behind baggage to their owners.”

"We diverted dozens of flights to avoid the worst of the weather on Tuesday, and over the next 3 days, we had to cancel nearly 400 flights and delay many more, as our hub operations remained challenged by staffing and supply shortages,” the airline's president went on to explain. "We were clear on our 2 priorities: Look after our customers who have been impacted by the disruption and get our operations back on schedule.”

He continued, "It will take us some more days to clear the backlog of rebooked passengers and bags, and we ask for our customers’ patience and understanding."

Due to the impact of the storm, the airline suspended check-in for passengers departing from Dubai and halted its transit operations through Dubai International Airport. The airport has struggled to return to normal operations after the storm flooded taxiways, forcing flight diversions, delays and cancellations.

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

In a statement, the airline said, "Our focus over the coming days continues to be on our passengers whose travel plans have been impacted."

Clark said Emirates had provided 12,000 hotel rooms and 250,000 meal vouchers to customers who were affected. He added it would take days to clear the backlog of rebooked passengers.

WAM / Reuters