Lahore flights delayed as Dubai Airport flooded

Deluge inundates Dubai International Airport, causing widespread disruption

LAHORE:

Bad weather and heavy rains wreaked havoc on several flights bound for Lahore on Wednesday, as a deluge inundated Dubai International Airport, causing widespread disruption at the world's busiest airfield for international travel.

Flights from and to Lahore were significantly delayed, with Emirates Airlines' flight EK-625 experiencing a six-hour delay, while Air Blue's Lahore-Dubai flight PA-416 was postponed for a staggering nineteen hours.

Furthermore, PIA flight PK-186 from Sharjah was cancelled, further exacerbating travel woes.

The arrival of Emirates Airlines' flight EK-624 was delayed by seven hours, while Emirates Airlines' Flight EK-623 departed Dubai six hours behind schedule.

Read also: Dubai airport diverts flights as 'exceptional weather' hits Gulf

The unprecedented rainfall, described by the state-run WAM news agency as a "historic weather event," began late Monday and intensified on Tuesday, drenching Dubai with over 5.59 inches of rain within 24 hours. This exceeded the average annual rainfall of 3.73 inches at Dubai International Airport.

At the airport, flooded taxiways and halted arrivals marked the extent of the disruption, with passengers facing challenges navigating through the floodwater to reach terminals. Operations at the airport were briefly halted for about 25 minutes on Tuesday afternoon, with all arrivals diverted until weather conditions improved.

As of late Wednesday morning, both the airport and flagship carrier Emirates continued to advise travellers against unnecessary visits to the airport, as flight check-in remained suspended.