Delhi airport saw ten flights to Dubai and nine incoming flights from Dubai cancelled on Wednesday.
Air India, operating 72 weekly flights from various Indian cities to Dubai, had to cancel flights due to adverse weather conditions in the Gulf nation.”We are doing our best to get affected passengers on their way as soon as possible by re-accommodating them on flights in the next few days. We are also offering a one-time date change waiver to passengers with valid tickets on 16 and 17 April, allowing them to reschedule their flights to future dates within the validity of the tickets,” a spokesperson said on Wednesday in a statement.
Other airlines, including Air India Express, Vistara, IndiGo, and SpiceJet, also saw disruptions in their Dubai-bound flights.
“Inclement weather has impacted air travel to the UAE, causing delays and diversions. Three to four of our flights on the 16th and 17th were among those delayed. We regret the inconvenience and have offered the option of a full refund or free rescheduling to all impacted guests,” said an AI Express spokesperson in a statement on Wednesday.
IndiGo announced on X on Wednesday that all flights to and from Dubai had been cancelled due to operational difficulties brought on by inclement weather and poor road conditions.
SpiceJet in a post on X stated that all flights to/from Dubai ‘are affected due to adverse weather conditions.’
The Dubai International Airport, ranked as the world’s second busiest in 2023 by the Airports Council International (ACI), faced challenges as it dealt with the aftermath of the heavy rains.
Meteorological reports indicate that approximately 20 millimeters (0.79 inches) of rain drenched Dubai late Monday, with the storm intensifying around 9am on Tuesday. By day’s end, the city had accumulated more than 142 millimeters (5.59 inches) of rain. Typically, Dubai experiences an average annual rainfall of 94.7 millimeters (3.73 inches) at its international airport.
(With inputs from agencies)
