Thousands of British passengers have suffered flight disruptions after Dubai International Airport was flooded due to severe storms.
Emirates canceled seven flights between its United Arab Emirates (UAE) airport and the UK, while British Airways diverted or canceled four.
The airport has urged passengers to stay away “unless absolutely necessary” after seeing more rainfall than the average rainfall for a year in the last 24 hours.
Many flights were delayed by several hours on Tuesday; such as the flight operated by Emirates which landed at Heathrow at 9.30pm, more than five hours behind schedule.
Dubai International Airport, the world’s second busiest airport, was flooded on Tuesday after being hit by the highest rainfall the UAE has recorded in data dating back to 1949.
Follow the latest updates below…
London-Dubai flights still disrupted
16:06 , Josh Salisbury
London-Dubai flights are still disrupted following heavy rain in the UAE.
Emirates/Qantas flight QF8010, which departed from Gatwick at 14.30, was delayed by approximately five hours, while subsequent flights are also expected to be delayed.
Meanwhile, the 16.50 Emirates flight EK030 from Gatwick is delayed by approximately six hours.
The Only Way Is Essex stars stranded in floods in Dubai
15:19 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks
The Only Way Is Essex stars Joey Essex and James ‘Arg’ Argent were left stranded on the streets of Dubai due to record-breaking rainfall.
The 33-year-old from Essex, who is a contestant on Dancing on Ice in 2023, was stuck after a downpour and said the couple “decided to hitchhike after trying to get home for hours.”
The reality star posted a video to her Instagram story of Argent, 36, standing next to a flooded road with her hand outstretched. Essex said: “Hitchhiking, we have no choice.”
Essex also uploaded a clip of himself walking on the street pavement, part of which appeared to have collapsed, as a car tried to navigate a flooded road that looked like a river.
In the next video, Essex was seen walking through the streets barefoot, with water on his ankles, holding his shoes.
Photos show airport outside Dubai packed with diverted passengers
15:10 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks
British lawyer Paul Lidwith, 40, was stranded at an airport outside Dubai after a transfer to Dubai International due to flooding.
He had previously described his experience as a “disaster”.
He has now shared photos showing Dubai World Center – Al Maktoum International Airport, located about an hour away from Dubai International, packed with crowds of diverted passengers.
Lawyer says Dubai trip was ‘disaster’
14:29 , Josh Salisbury
A Merseyside lawyer who was stranded at a Dubai airport for more than seven hours said the experience was “disastrous”.
Paul Lidwith, 40, from St Helens, booked a flight with Emirates from Auckland in New Zealand to Manchester via Sydney, but his journey was delayed after his connection to Dubai International was diverted due to flooding.
Directed to Dubai World Center – Al Maktoum International Airport, an hour away from Dubai International, Mr Lidwith said there was no food or water and claimed Emirates staff had failed to inform him of his flight to Manchester.
He said: “This airport is for cargo planes and has maybe half a dozen flights a day. “They couldn’t handle flights diverted from Dubai International.
“We had to wait on the tarmac for about five hours. Our total travel time from leaving Sydney to getting off the plane was up to 22 hours.”
Passenger: ‘People are forced to sit on the ground’
13:53 , Josh Salisbury
Kanish Kumar Deb Barman, 39, said he and his wife had been stranded at Dubai airport since around 4 a.m. when their flight landed late from Paris and missed their next flight to Kolkata, India.
“People are just lying around in the airport. You know, there aren’t enough seats and chairs to sit them down,” he said.
“They’re sitting on the ground,” he told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday afternoon as he waited to board the next available flight.
Airport CEO says flooding problems continue
12:46 , Josh Salisbury
Paul Griffiths, the airport’s general manager, said on Wednesday that problems with flooding continued and that every place where aircraft could safely park had been taken over.
Some planes were diverted to Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Centre, the city-state’s second airport.
“It continues to be an incredibly challenging period. I don’t think anyone in my living memory has seen conditions like this,” Mr Griffiths told state-owned radio station Dubai Eye. said.
“We are in uncharted territory but I can reassure everyone that we are working as hard as we can to ensure our customers and staff are well looked after.”
The airport continues to operate with limited capacity
11:52 , Josh Salisbury
Dubai International Airport said it was still operating at limited capacity.
While ground crews had difficulty reaching the planes, it was stated that there were “limited transportation options” affecting flights.
“It will take some time to recover,” the airport said. “We appreciate your patience and understanding as we deal with these challenges.”
Officials say heavy rain killed one person
11:06 , Josh Salisbury
Officials in the United Arab Emirates said heavy downpours killed at least one person.
The UAE witnessed record rainfall in Al Ain on Tuesday, with 254mm falling in less than 24 hours, according to the national meteorological centre.
This was the highest figure since records began in 1949, before the country was founded in 1971.
The disruption continues on Wednesday, with Emirates airline suspending check-in for passengers leaving Dubai airport until midnight.
Dubai International Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports, said it was facing significant disruptions as heavy rains delayed or diverted flights and affected flight crews.
Passengers are frustrated by airport chaos
10:52 , Josh Salisbury
Passengers at Dubai International Airport expressed their anger after many passengers had to sleep in the terminal building due to cancellations.
In a message to Emirates, one of them said: “My daughter is traveling alone and was stranded in Dubai today for flight EK009.
“All check-ins have been canceled because the airport is at dangerous capacity levels. Assuming this flight will also be canceled. “There are no Emirates employees at T3 to provide support.”
Another stranded in Abu Dhabi added: “Still stranded in Abu Dhabi and my transit flight from Dubai to my final destination was canceled and Emirates was nowhere to be found. No communication from them.”
@Qatar airlines The flight to Dubai has been canceled and people have already been waiting in a huge queue for over 90 minutes. After waiting for information for 5 hours!!!!
What’s going on ? One worker for 300 people? Why not issue new tickets electronically? Take action immediately!… pic.twitter.com/9AyjeC6TfE— Alex Ego🦇🔊 (@Eg0Alex) April 17, 2024
Dubai’s Gatwick and Heathrow flights canceled
10:33 , Josh Salisbury
Many flights from Heathrow and Gatwick to Dubai have been canceled today due to weather conditions.
These include Emirates/Qantas QF 8012 flight EK012 departing from Gatwick at 10.15am and Emirates service EK006D departing Heathrow at 11.10am.
‘A complete massacre’ at the flooded airport
10:24 , Josh Salisbury
Passengers at the rain-soaked Dubai International Airport described the situation as “a massacre”.
Arrivals were halted on Tuesday night and passengers had difficulty reaching terminals due to floodwaters covering surrounding roads.
One couple, who spoke anonymously to the AP news agency for fear of official retaliation, described the situation at the airport as “absolute carnage”.
“You can’t take a taxi. There are people sleeping in the subway station. There are people sleeping in the airport,” the man said Wednesday.
They took a taxi to get closer to their home, about 28 miles away, but floodwaters on the road stopped them. Later, a bystander helped them cross the highway barrier with their hand luggage.
