Travellers are still affected by mass flight disruptions following the emergency landing of the Emirates aircraft, EK521, at Dubai Airport yesterday.
Though departure operations were resumed at DXB at 6.30pm last night, many airlines are still cancelling flights in and out of the city.
Spice Jet, Indigo and Jet Airways have called off all flights, while Flydubai have cancelled selected trips (you can check the status of your flight here).
The airport is expected to be working through a backlog of flights for the next 36 hours according to an Emirates Airline statement, with some arrivals diverted to Al Maktoum and Sharjah.
Around 23,000 travellers were affected by the delays and cancellations yesterday.
Emirates Airlines has said that all “passengers holding tickets purchased on or before August 3 2016 can rebook or cancel their bookings at no charge”.
“After the resumption of departure operations at 1830 hours [on August 3], Dubai Airports has now commenced arrival operations at DXB under restricted capacity,” an airline statement said.
“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.”
The airport is currently still operating with just one runway, and is prioritising arriving flights and larger departing planes to clear as many waiting passengers as possible.
The airport is urging travellers to contact their airline for updates before leaving home.
Plane reportedly forced to crash land
Flight EK521 was believed to have ‘belly landed’ after its landing gear failed to engage, sources say, but a full investigation will take months.
The 282 passengers and 18 crew members on board the Boeing 777 from Thiruvananthapuram, India, were safely evacuated from the plane before the fire spread through the cabin.
Tragically Jassim Essa Al-Baloushi, a firefighter from Ras Al Khaimah, died while working to save others during the incident.
.@HHShkMohd:Our condolences to the family& friends of Jassim Essa Al-Baloushi,the nation’s martyr firefighter #EK521 pic.twitter.com/raB7arNSu0
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) August 3, 2016
His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates’ Chairman & Chief Executive made a video statement shortly after the crash, which was posted on YouTube. Discussing the incident involving EK521, he revealed that while they did not have all the answers, he could confirm that there were no fatalities among the passengers and crew.
The exact cause of the crash has yet to be revealed yet a source has claimed that the issue was a “landing gear failure” which forced the plane to do a “belly-landing.”
Emirates confirmed that “an incident happened at Dubai International Airport on August 3, 2016 at about 12.45pm local time” and it is believed the emergency services were quick to get to the plane.
Closing airspace will have cost Dubai International Airport a staggering amount – around USD$1 million (Dhs3.67 million) per minute, according to Michael Rudolf, Head of Aviation Regulations and Safety.
Taking videos of plane accidents is against the law
Following yesterday’s crash landing, many passengers and spectators captured images and clips of the plane ablaze, and travellers rushing to remove their hand luggage in the smoking cabin.
BREAKING: Exclusive Al Arabiya image shows #Emirates plane on fire at #Dubai Airport https://t.co/iKXgh8xfro pic.twitter.com/QrcFYL0658
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) August 3, 2016
Emergency response teams have been activated and all passengers and crew have been safely evacuated.
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) August 3, 2016
However the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has since warned residents that posting images and videos of “aviation accidents” on social media could have severe repercussions.
“Residents in the United Arab Emirates [have been warned] to stop abusing social networks by publishing videos, news or pictures of aviation accidents. Sharing such images and videos is considered to be irresponsible and disrespectful to the victims, and is punishable under UAE law,” the GCAA posted on its Facebook page.
Sharing images or videos of traffic accidents is also deemed disrespectful to victims or relative of the deceased.
“The circulation of these images is unacceptable as it can cause a psychological shock to parents when they view such images,” the UAE’s Ministry of Interior said in a statement last month.
Main image: Getty
