With record rainfall causing chaos in the UAE after Tuesday’s devastating storm, Sir Tim Clark, the president of Emirates Airlines, has apologised to passengers.
Flight schedules were restored on Saturday, following days of disruption that saw cancellations and delays with much of Dubai International Airport – and the roads surrounding it – flooded.
In an open letter published on the airline’s website, Sir Tim described this week as “one of the toughest for Emirates operationally” and offered his “most sincere apologies” to every passenger affected.
He said “dozens” of flights were diverted, while nearly 400 were cancelled and “many more” delayed as operations “remained challenged by staffing and supply shortages”.
More than 100 people were sent, Sir Tim said, to look after disrupted customers at Dubai Airport departures and in the transit area.
They prioritised “medical cases, the elderly and other vulnerable travellers”.
About 12,000 hotel rooms were secured to accommodate disrupted customers, and 250,000 meal vouchers were issued.
While noting that regular flight schedules have been restored, Sir Tim said it will take “some more days to clear the backlog of rebooked passengers and bags”.
He also said the airline’s response had been “far from perfect” and acknowledged that the “long queues and wait times have been unacceptable”.
Heavy rain hits Dubai and Abu Dhabi - in pictures
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Workers cut down a tree that was uprooted by the storm in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
A vehicle submerged on a waterlogged road in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
A fence is blown over during the storm in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Vehicles splash through the Dubai – Abu Dhabi motorway during the heavy rain in Abu Dhabi. Pawan Singh / The National -
A vehicle drives through a flooded road on a wet day in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Two men navigate Dubai's flooded roads on a raft made from gas cylinders. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Trying to keep flooding out of a business in Al Quoz, Dubai. According to some measurements, 158mm of rain fell in 24 hours. Antonie Robertson / The National -
One pedestrian is still smiling despite the flooding, in Al Quoz, Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Waves form in Dubai floodwaters. Nic Ridley/ The National -
Dark clouds over Aldar headquarters in Al Raha, Abu Dhabi. Evelyn Lau / The National -
Wrapped up for the elements in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
More storms are forecast for Dubai, with dark skies overhead. Nic Ridley/ The National -
A young boy goes for a walk on a rainy day in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Heavy rain fell for several hours in Dubai on Tuesday morning, in what forecasters said was the first wave of stormy weather. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Lightning strikes in Abu Dhabi on Monday. Roy Cooper/ The National -
There were large puddles in Dubai after heavy rain overnight. Antonie Robertson/The National -
A cyclist travels amid clean-up efforts in Dubai. Antonie Robertson/The National -
A motorist's car is stranded on a flooded Dubai road, following torrential rain. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Clean-up efforts are under way in Dubai after heavy rain. Antonie Robertson/The National -
Dark clouds linger over Dubai with more adverse weather forecast. Antonie Robertson/The National -
Dark skies over Reem Island in Abu Dhabi. Zoya Thomas/ The National -
Forecasters warned of 'hazardous weather events' until Wednesday evening. Antonie Robertson/The National -
Workers clear standing water in Dubai. Antonie Robertson/The National -
Drivers faced a difficult commute after heavy rain in Dubai. Antonie Robertson/The National -
Clean-up efforts began in Dubai after heavy rain. Antonie Robertson/The National
To read Sir Tim’s letter in full, see below:
“To all our valued customers,
“This week has been one of the toughest for Emirates operationally, as record storms hit the United Arab Emirates.
“I would like to offer our most sincere apologies to every customer who has had their travel plans disrupted during this time.
“On Tuesday April 16, the UAE experienced its highest rainfall in 75 years. Lashing storm winds and rain disrupted activity across the cities. Our 24/7 hub in Dubai remained open, with flight movements reduced for safety, but flooded roads impeded the ability of our customers, pilots, cabin crew, and airport employees to reach the airport, and also the movement of essential supplies like meals and other flight amenities.
“We diverted dozens of flights to avoid the worst of the weather on Tuesday, and over the next three days we had to cancel nearly 400 flights and delay many more, as our hub operations remained challenged by staffing and supply shortages.
“We were clear on our two priorities: Look after our customers who have been impacted by the disruption and get our operations back on schedule.
“To free up resources and capacity to manage impacted customers as a priority, we had to suspend check-in for passengers departing Dubai, implement an embargo on ticket sales, and temporarily halt connecting passenger traffic from points across our network coming into Dubai.
“We deployed additional resources to aid our airport and contact centre teams with rebooking and put on additional flights to destinations where we identified large numbers of displaced customers.
“We sent over 100 employee volunteers to look after disrupted customers at Dubai Airport departures and in the transit area, prioritising medical cases, the elderly and other vulnerable travellers. To date, over 12,000 hotel rooms were secured to accommodate disrupted customers in Dubai, 250,000 meal vouchers have been issued, and more quantities of drinking water, blankets, and other amenities.
“Behind the scenes, it was all hands-on deck for thousands more employees across the organisation to get our operations back on track.
“As of this morning, Saturday April 20, our regular flight schedules have been restored. 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.
“It will take us some more days to clear the backlog of rebooked passengers and bags, and we ask for our customers’ patience and understanding.
“We know our response has been far from perfect. We acknowledge and understand the frustration of our customers due to the congestion, lack of information, and confusion in the terminals. We acknowledge that the long queues and wait times have been unacceptable.
“We take our commitment to our customers very seriously, and we have taken learnings from the last few days to make things right and improve our processes.
“I’d like to also acknowledge and thank our teams across the airline, and our many suppliers and partners for their tireless efforts around the clock this week, despite the challenging conditions, to support customers, recover our network, and bring our operating schedule back to normal.
“Finally, and once again, I want to offer, on behalf of myself, and all the teams across Emirates, our apologies to each and every customer affected by this disruption.
“We will continue to work hard to live up to your expectations, and to our Fly Better brand promise.”
