Dubai Airport Disrupted By Flash Floods Caused By Heavy Rains

(CTN News) – A torrential downpour disrupted Dubai Airport on Wednesday, resulting in one death and a number of damages.

In less than 24 hours, the UAE witnessed record rainfall with 254mm falling in Al Ain. Records began in 1949, before the country was founded in 1971, and that was the most since 1949.

On Tuesday, heavy rains eased, but disruptions continued on Wednesday with Emirates airline suspending check-in for passengers departing Dubai airport until midnight.

One of the world’s busiest airports, Dubai International Airport, reported major disruptions following heavy rains that delayed or diverted flights.

It was advised that passengers departing Dubai should check their flight status with their airline instead of heading to Dubai Airport.

While operating under very challenging conditions, the airport is striving to restart operations as quickly as possible.

Emirates says passengers in transit will continue to be processed despite delays. As a result, departures and arrivals will be delayed as well. Dubai airport took hours to arrive and depart several flights.

Air Arabia had to cancel or reschedule flights due to weather conditions in the UAE and the region, the airline reported on X. Passengers are encouraged to visit the company’s website or call its call center for the latest information.

The Ras Al Khaimah emirate experienced flash flooding Tuesday morning, causing a 70-year-old Emirati man’s vehicle to catch fire. UAE’s weather bureau confirmed there were no cloud-seeding missions during Tuesday’s torrential rains, according to the National.

An official for the National Centre of Meteorology confirmed that its seeding planes had not flown after heavy rain inundated parts of the country. The publication reported on its website that many people speculated on social media that the deluge was caused by the country’s cloud seeding programme.

About 150 Pakistanis were stranded for hours at Al Ain Dubai Airport in the UAE on Tuesday. The aircraft, FlyDubai FZ-334, was diverted from Karachi to Dubai after heavy rains blocked the runway, making it impossible to land.

In real-time flight tracking service Flightradar, the flight was rerouted from Dubai to Al Ain, landing there around 4pm instead of 12:45pm.

Dawn.com reported today that Al Ain Airport had not arranged alternative flights or accommodations for stranded passengers Maria Khan and Abdul Rauf. On Wednesday, all 150 passengers were still stranded at the airport. There were only “very few flights” departing from the Dubai Airport, and no arrangements were in place for passengers to be taken to their original destinations.

Flydubai sent me a refund notification. She did not mention alternatives. Omani media published images of flooded communities. 19 people died in neighboring Oman due to heavy rain over three consecutive days.

Wednesday is expected to be wetter than Tuesday. For a second consecutive day, Dubai’s government ordered all employees and schools to work remotely after clearing the skies.

There was significant damage to roads and homes in some parts of the UAE as a result of the torrential rains.

In social media posts on Tuesday, some vehicles were seen completely on flooded roads and parking lots. People were trapped in a kilometre-long traffic jam for hours on Sheikh Zayed Road, a 12-lane highway through Dubai Airport.

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