UAE airport updates: Emirates, Flydubai return to regular schedule from DXB

In a statement posted by Emirates, the CEO, Tim Clark, has said that flight schedules "have been restored", as of April 20, 2023.

Clark added in the statement, "Passengers previously stranded in the airport transit area have been rebooked and are enroute to their destinations. We have put together a taskforce to sort, reconcile, and deliver some 30,000 pieces of left-behind baggage to their owners."

Meanwhile, Flydubai has returned to operating its full flight schedule from terminals two and three at Dubai International Airport, a statement said on Saturday.

Dubai International Airport advised all departing passengers to arrive at the airport three hours before their flight to allow sufficient time to check-in, and urged them not to come too early to the airport to avoid increased congestion in the terminal.

Dubai Airports has previously indicated that 31 flights were transferred from Dubai International Airport to Al Maktoum Airport "Dubai World Central" due to unprecedented weather conditions this week, noting that all Al Maktoum Airport guests received the necessary support as they continued to complete their travel plans.

Dubai Airports on Friday extended the temporary limiting of inbound flights to Dubai International (DXB) airport due to operational challenges in the aftermath of torrential rains this week.

Emirates suspended check-in for passengers transiting from Dubai. Meanwhile, Air India has also announced cancellation of flights to and from Dubai.

Etihad Airways has announced the resumption of scheduled operations after disruptions following the recent challenging weather conditions in the country.

However, departures at the Dubai Airports will continue to operate as scheduled.

“Dubai Airports is endeavouring to do its best to support passengers at Dubai International impacted by travel delays due to the recent unprecedented weather conditions the UAE experienced.

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"However, due to the ongoing disruption, and to assist the effectiveness of recovery, DXB is temporarily limiting the number of inbound flights from 12 pm on April 19 for 48 hours. Departures will continue to operate,” said the statement on Friday afternoon.

Around 1,244 flights were cancelled in the first two days after the torrential rains. Many inbound flights, too, have been cancelled.

Earlier in the day, Emirates announced suspending check-in for all customers in its network travelling with onward connections through Dubai until 2359hrs [GMT] on April 19 to support operations recovery from the recent bad weather at its Dubai hub.

Passengers already in Dubai and in transit will continue to be processed for their flights, it said

Flydubai said it has adjusted its schedule for Friday and there have been further flight cancellations due to operational challenges after massive flooding at Dubai International (DXB) airport last Tuesday.

It asked passengers to check the status of their flight before they leave for the airport.

“We are working hard to minimise any disruption to our passengers’ travel schedules and are coordinating with all parties at the airport. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by the operational challenges,” the airline’s spokesperson said.