Due to a backlog of storms, Dubai airport bans inbound planes

Three days after a record storm struck the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Dubai’s major airport said on Friday that it is restricting the number of planes coming for two days as it continues to battle to clear a backlog.

One of the busiest airports in the world, Dubai International Airport, announced on X that it would restrict inbound planes for 48 hours starting at noon local time (0800 GMT) on Friday.

One of the largest international airlines in the world, Emirates, based in Dubai, had previously announced that check-in was closed to all passengers with connections via the city until 2359 GMT on Friday. Those with Dubai as their ultimate destination may check in and proceed with their trip as normal.

The actions demonstrate how difficult it is for the Middle East hub to clear a backlog of flights after the UAE’s most intense rainfall in 75 years, which left parts of the nation in ruins and forced many people to stop traveling for two days.

Flight operations have resumed in neighboring Abu Dhabi, which was also affected by Tuesday’s rain, according to national airline Etihad.

Paul Griffiths, the chief executive of Dubai Airports, said on Friday that thousands of passengers had been impacted by aircraft cancellations this week as a result of the storm inundating taxiways.

According to a state news outlet, Majed Al Joker, the chief operating officer of Dubai Airports, said on Thursday that regular operations will resume at Dubai International Airport within 24 hours, indicating a restoration to full capacity and a regular schedule.

Following its Sunday impact on neighboring Oman, the storm pummeled the UAE on Tuesday, leaving one person dead there and twenty in Oman.

The primary highway that links Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the most populous emirate in the United Arab Emirates, is still partly blocked. Instead, motorists entering Dubai must take a road that is completely submerged in floodwater and has abandoned automobiles and busses.

People were allegedly still stuck in their houses in the northern United Arab Emirates, including the emirate of Sharjah, while other residents reported significant damage to businesses.

In the United Arab Emirates and other parts of the Arabian Peninsula, which is generally renowned for its arid desert environment with summertime highs of over fifty degrees Celsius, rain is uncommon.

The National Center of Meteorology for the United Arab Emirates (NCM) said on X that Tuesday is expected to bring “a chance of light to moderate rainfall, might be heavy at times over some areas” along with a drop in temperature over some coastal areas. Monday might witness light rainfall by late night.