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Emirates incident: Over 200 Dubai flights cancelled

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Emirates incident: Over 200 Dubai flights cancelled

A total of 116 arriving and 121 departing flights were cancelled on Wednesday, while 44 inbound flights had to be diverted.

Published: Thu 4 Aug 2016, 1:19 PM

Updated: Thu 4 Aug 2016, 11:58 PM

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Over 300 people had a miraculous escape on Wednesday when an Emirates aircraft made an emergency landing in Dubai. The flight -- EK521 -- was flying in from Thiruvananthapuram in India when it caught fire upon landing and was soon engulfed in flames.

Over 2,00,000 people use the Dubai airport everyday

63 airlines fly out of terminal 1

23 airlines fly out of terminal 2

Only 2 airlines -- Emirates and Qantas -- fly out of terminal 3
Also read: Firefighter dies during Emirates emergency incident
Heroic efforts from the well-trained flight crew and the civil defence ensured the passengers were evacuated in seconds and well away from harm's way.

In it's 11th media statement, issued on Thursday noon, the airline said over 23,000 Emirates passengers were impacted by the disruption.
Also read: Flydubai cancels 49 flights

Of the 282 passengers on the flight EK521, 157 disembarked in Dubai and left the airport on Wednesday afternoon, the statement added.

Here's the complete statement issued by the airline.
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Emirates flight EK521 was involved in an operational incident upon landing at Dubai International Airport at approximately 12:45hrs local time yesterday, on 3rd August 2016. All passengers and crew were evacuated safely due to the quick response of the teams at Emirates and Dubai International Airport.
Also read: Incident cost - $1 million per minute!

The aircraft, a Boeing 777-300 registration A6-EMW powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines, was travelling from Trivandrum International Airport in Thiruvananthapuram, India to Dubai. There were 282 passengers and 18 crew on board.
Also read: Indian passports lost in incident will be reissued

Passengers were met by Emirates staff and provided with all possible assistance. Of the 282 passengers on the flight EK521, 157 disembarked in Dubai and left the airport yesterday afternoon. 107 passengers opted to continue on their journeys and remained airside where they were provided with refreshments, rest areas, and other necessities, while Emirates rebooks them on the next possible flights. 13 passengers opted to stay a few days in Dubai before continuing on their journeys and Emirates has provided them with hotel accommodation and dedicated support. 5 passengers were brought to local hospitals with minor injuries, and we have dedicated a staff liaison supporting their requirements. We will continue to extend all possible care to our affected customers.
Also read: Wife falls sick, family decides to leave EK521

Emirates Chairman and Chief Executive, Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum has met with the crew members of the flight, who are all safe and accounted for. One cabin crew member was hospitalised yesterday, but is in good condition and will be discharged from a local hospital today. Emirates has activated dedicated support for its crew community.
Also read: RTA provides extra shuttles, buses at airport after Emirates incident

The Boeing aircraft was delivered to Emirates in March 2003.  Both the Captain and the First Officer have over seven thousand hours of flying experience each. Emirates is fully collaborating with local authorities to determine the cause of the incident.

Flight disruptions expected for the next 36 hours

Due to this incident, Dubai International Airport was closed for about six hours on 3rd August and a number of flights were cancelled, delayed or diverted. Dubai International Airport gradually started to resume operations at approximately 1830hrs local time last night.

Emirates cancelled 27 flights yesterday, and there were delays and rescheduled flights across the network. 23 flights were diverted to alternative airports - Sharjah, Al Maktoum International (DWC), Fujairah, Al Ain, Muscat and Bahrain. In total, over 23,000 Emirates passengers were impacted by the disruption.  We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused to our affected passengers, and ask for their continued understanding and patience as our teams work to restore operations back to normal.

Passengers holding tickets purchased on or before 3rd August 2016 can rebook or cancel their bookings at no charge.  For more information on flights or rebookings, visit www.emirates.com or contact the local Emirates sales offices. Numbers can be found here: https://www.emirates.com/english/help/contact-emirates/
 
Passengers due to travel in the next 24 hours, please visit: http://www.emirates.com/ae/english/plan_book/flight_status/flightstatus.aspx
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DUBAI AIRPORT IN RECOVERY MODE
in a separate statement issued by Dubai Airports, the operator confirmed that a total of 116 arriving and 121 departing flights were cancelled on Wednesday, while 44 inbound flights had to be diverted.
Here's their full statement:
Dubai Airports confirms that a total of 116 arriving and 121 departing flights were cancelled and a total of 44 inbound flights were diverted to neighbouring airports following the incident involving EK 521 at Dubai International on Wednesday.

The disruption of normal operations affected a total of 19,000 passengers before DXB resumed operations under restricted capacity at 6.30 pm.

The airport continues to operate with one runway with higher priority for arriving flights and wide-bodied aircraft to maximise the utilisation of available capacity and ease congestion inside the terminals.

The airport is expected to be on recovery mode for the next 48 hours with efforts in full swing to clear backlogged flights.



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