UAE air traffic recovery begins after storm disruptions

Air traffic at Dubai International (DXB) has begun to recover after an unprecedented storm hit the country on 16 April, although flight delays are expected to continue.

"DXB resumed inbound flights of international airlines operating out of terminal 1", a spokesperson for DXB operator Dubai Airports said on 18 April. But it urged travellers not to come to the terminal for outbound flights before confirming their flight status, as it said the access to the terminal is "strictly limited" to guests with confirmed departures.

Prolonged flight disruptions at DXB, which was ranked the second-busiest airport in the world in 2023, according to the Airports Council International's preliminary ranking, could affect regional jet fuel demand.

Dubai low-cost carrier flydubai said it has now resumed partial operations from DXB, having previously cancelled all of its flights scheduled to depart from Dubai on 16 April evening until 10am on 17 April. Select outbound flights were to operate from DXB's terminal 2 with scheduled operations resuming after 8pm on 17 April, it said, while flights from terminal 3 were due to resume after midnight.

But Dubai-owned Emirates Airlines has extended the suspension on check-in for passengers departing DXB until 9am on 18 April, after having initially suspending it between 8am and midnight on 17 April. The airline said the extension was because of "continued operational challenges caused by bad weather and road conditions".

Neighbouring Abu Dhabi's Zayed international airport said it is "operating smoothly", despite issuing a warning on 17 April that some flights might be delayed.

By Ieva Paldaviciute