Air travel is slowly returning to normal following a global technology outage that saw flights grounded or delayed around the world. Getty Images / AFP
Air travel is slowly returning to normal following a global technology outage that saw flights grounded or delayed around the world. Getty Images / AFP
Air travel is slowly returning to normal following a global technology outage that saw flights grounded or delayed around the world. Getty Images / AFP
Air travel is slowly returning to normal following a global technology outage that saw flights grounded or delayed around the world. Getty Images / AFP

Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports operating as normal following IT global outage


Hayley Skirka
  • English
  • Arabic

Following a technology outage that caused travel disruption around the world, operations at airports and airlines are returning to normal on Sunday.

In the UAE, flight tracking website FlightRadar24 reported low airport disruption on Sunday morning.

Good traffic flow was reported at Zayed International Airport and in Dubai, only minor delays were on the radar according to the latest data from the aviation website.

Emirates flights to and from Dubai remain unimpacted by the outage.

“There has been no impact to our operations due to the global IT disruption since our last statement on Friday,” a representative for the Dubai airline told The National.

It's also operations as usual at flydubai. “The third-party IT issue has not impacted our operations, we had minor delays on a few of our inbound flights from across the network,” confirmed a spokesperson for the airline on Sunday.

Flight status data from Dubai International Airport shows that only a handful of flights are delayed today, including some services to Oman, Pakistan and Poland.

In Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways previously reported that flights were operating as normal, but advised travellers to expect “some limited delays to services across its network as a result of the global disruption.” The National has contacted the national airline of the UAE for the latest update.

Low-cost airline Wizz Air told The National all UAE flights are back to normal.

"Wizz Air Abu Dhabi confirms that all systems and services are now recovered. The airline has managed the disruption arising from the incident with a 100 per cent completion rate on all flights to and from the UAE," said a representative for the airline.

Flights are operating as normal at Dubai International Airport following a global IT outage. Photo: Dubai Airports
Flights are operating as normal at Dubai International Airport following a global IT outage. Photo: Dubai Airports

Globally, aviation patterns are also returning to normal in most destinations.

London Heathrow airport is not experiencing any major disruptions on Sunday. The international hub is in the middle of its peak summer period, having recorded its busiest ever day for passenger numbers on June 30.

Authorities at neighbouring London City airport have confirmed it was not impacted directly by the outage, and it was also business as usual at London Stanstead, with officials issuing a statement confirming “operations are now running as normal.”

At London's Gatwick Airport, most travel issues have been resolved, including IT systems which crashed during the outage, but some flights may continue to be impacted on Sunday.

“We expect the majority of our flights to operate as usual tomorrow,” reads a post on the airport's account from Saturday. “Some delays and cancellations will however continue this evening and over the weekend.”

ABTA, the largest travel association in the UK, reported that “the majority of flights are going ahead”.

It advised any passengers with upcoming travel to check the latest information from airlines and the departure airport, and to carry essentials items with them in case of any knock-on delays.

Fully restored services in India and US travel waivers

Several major US airlines including Delta, United and American Airlines grounded flights during the outage, which had knock-on effects at airports around the world. Travel waivers were issued for US passengers impacted by the technology fail.

In India, where IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet cancelled flights following the outage, travel is largely back to normal.

US airlines have issued travel waivers for passengers impacted by the global IT outage. AFP
US airlines have issued travel waivers for passengers impacted by the global IT outage. AFP

The country’s union minister for civil aviation took to X to post an update that airline services had resumed on Saturday. Low cost airline IndiGo, which cancelled about 200 flights on Friday and had technical problems with its reservations system, also used the social media platform to confirm that travel services have been “fully restored”.

Australian airline Qantas previously announced that some of its flights were delayed due to the global outage. On Saturday, it advised travellers that the situation was back to normal.

“Technical issues due to a global third party outage have been resolved,” reported the airline on its website and advised passengers to continue to travel to airports for upcoming flights.

Singapore Airlines said on X that “flights are operating as scheduled”. The South-east Asian airline has also restored services at its main services centre and telephone reservation lines following their suspension on Friday.

Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Samaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

Islamophobia definition

A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

if you go

Getting there

Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.

Staying there

On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.

More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr

Key figures in the life of the fort

Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.

Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae

WHAT%20MACRO%20FACTORS%20ARE%20IMPACTING%20META%20TECH%20MARKETS%3F
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Looming%20global%20slowdown%20and%20recession%20in%20key%20economies%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Russia-Ukraine%20war%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Interest%20rate%20hikes%20and%20the%20rising%20cost%20of%20debt%20servicing%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Oil%20price%20volatility%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Persisting%20inflationary%20pressures%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Exchange%20rate%20fluctuations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shortage%20of%20labour%2Fskills%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20A%20resurgence%20of%20Covid%3F%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Test squad: Azhar Ali (captain), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan(wicketkeeper), Musa Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah

Twenty20 squad: Babar Azam (captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Musa Khan, Shadab Khan, Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz 

Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut

Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”

Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20WallyGPT%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2014%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESaeid%20and%20Sami%20Hejazi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%247.1%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2020%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%20round%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tips to keep your car cool
  • Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
  • Park in shaded or covered areas
  • Add tint to windows
  • Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
  • Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
  • Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
  • George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
  • Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
  • Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
  • Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills. 
Hunting park to luxury living
  • Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
  • The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
  • Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds

 

WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Updated: July 21, 2024, 9:49 AM