Dubai: Amid the challenging weather conditions that hit Dubai, disrupting various aspects of life, the Dubai Airport Administration remained committed to prioritising the welfare of its guests. Although there were initial challenges in transporting supplies with road closures around DXB and DWC, over 75,000 food packs were delivered across both airports.
After the heaviest rainfall the UAE experienced in 75 years, Dubai Airports is restoring and normalising its operations.
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said that since yesterday, before its recovery schedule, DXB had returned to its regular flight schedule and was back to operating around 1,400 flight movements daily.
As normal operations resume, guests should arrive at their terminal only three hours ahead of their flight departure time to avoid unnecessary congestion.
At least 31 flights were diverted to Dubai World Central (DWC), and by 19 April, all airport guests were successfully supported and continued onward to complete their travel plans.
It was no small feat to get the airport back up and running. Almost 2155 flights were cancelled, and 115 were diverted. The airport authority had to work closely with its airline partners and service providers to rework schedules, boost manpower, and care for all those who had been disrupted.
“I’m continuously amazed at the unwavering dedication of our Dubai Airport employees, airline partners, government agencies, commercial partners and service partners. It has been the most challenging adverse weather event we’ve had to navigate, and our people and partners worked tirelessly to keep the operation running and to assist our guests, ” said Griffiths.
Mr Griffiths further stated that they worked closely with their service partners to overcome challenges, such as processing the baggage backlog. He acknowledged that there was still more work to be done and thanked guests for their patience. Additionally, he was sad about the impact of heavy rainfall on affected communities and businesses across the UAE. Mr Griffiths also shared that they supported their people affected by the weather and would continue to do so.