Dubai Airport is gearing up for a busy weekend as residents head home and families travel to the emirate to celebrate the Indian festival of Diwali on Thursday.
Close to 550,000 passengers are expected to travel through Dubai Airports until Sunday, with about 137,000 travellers expected daily.
Passengers have been urged to plan ahead, make sure they are aware of regulations and leave plenty of time to get to the airport.
"Dubai International Airport is gearing up for a high volume of passengers this weekend on account of the Indian festival of Diwali,” said Essa Al Shamsi, vice president of terminal operations at Dubai Airports.
Diwali 2019 celebrations around the world – in pictures
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A woman dressed as Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, in Bhopal, India. EPA -
An Armed Police dog handler decorates his K9 colleague with colour, petals and flower garlands at the Armed Police Dog Training School in Kathmandu, Nepal. EPA -
Indian businessmen pray in front of their record-keeping books as part of a ritual to worship the Hindu deity of wealth goddess Lakshmi in Ahmedabad, India. Reuters -
People light lamps on the banks of the river Sarayu to celebrate Diwali in Ayodhya, India. AP -
Buyers and sellers throng a wholesale flower market on the occasion of Hindu festivals Kali Puja and Diwali, in Kolkata, India. AP -
Sikh devotees light candles during Bandi Chhor Divas which coincides with the day of Diwali at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. AFP -
Hindu devotees light earthen lamps on the banks of the River Sarayu on the eve of Diwali festival during an event organised by the Uttar Pradesh government, in Ayodhya. AFP -
The Dignitaries light, which is claimed to be as world's biggest earthen lamp, is seen on the eve of the Diwali festival in Guwahati, India. EPA -
Amateur wrestlers participate in a friendly wrestling competition on a make-shift ring at the junction of a busy road organised as part of Diwali festivities in Kolkata on October 26, 2019. AFP -
People light lamps as they make a formation of 'Om', a spiritual icon for Hindus, on the eve of Diwali, in Chandigarh, India. Reuters -
Indian vendors prepare artificial flower pots for sale at a roadside shop on the eve of Diwali festival in Amritsar, India. EPA -
A vendor arranges designer lamps in a market on the eve of Diwali in Guwahati, India. EPA -
Indian security personnel keep watch as Hindu devotees light earthen lamps on the banks of the River Sarayu on the eve of Diwali. AFP -
The Akshardham Mandir is seen illuminated with some 10,000 oil lamps on the eve of Diwali festival, in Gandhinagar, some 30 kms from Ahmedabad, India. AFP -
Widows burn earthen lamps as they participate in an event to mark Diwali in Vrindavan, India. EPA -
Young women light lamps on occasion of Diwali festival celebrations in Bhopal, India, on October 26, 2019. EPA -
Sikh devotees visit the Golden Temple to mark Bandi Chhor Divas which coincides with the day of Diwali in Amritsar. AFP -
Devotees pray next to sweets and fruits that are kept as offerings by the devotees as part of a ritual to mark Annakut festival during Diwali in Ahmedabad, India. Reuters
"We urge them to get in touch with the respective airlines and ensure they have the necessary documents with the required validity.
"If you are travelling to India, please complete the Air Suvidha form [mandatory health self-declaration form] before arriving at the airport to ease your journey and help us reduce waiting time at check-in," he said.
"Say your goodbyes at home as only ticketed passengers will be allowed to enter the departure zone at terminal one during peak hours throughout the weekend.”
Passengers flying out of Terminal 1 have been advised to arrive at the airport no earlier than three hours before their departure.
Traffic between India and the UAE has picked up since travel restrictions eased in August, said Godly Babukutty, owner of Epic Travel In Dubai.
He said there was a larger than normal volume of passengers flying to and from India this week.
"Now since the restriction have eased there is a lot of traveling happening in the month of October," said Mr Babukutty.
Sheikh Hamdan visits Dubai Airport - in pictures
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Sheikh Hamdan visits Dubai International Airport and reviews the preparations and preventive protocols in place to welcome tourists back. All images courtesy Dubai Media Office -
Sheikh Hamdan visits Dubai International Airport and reviews the preparations and preventive protocols in place to welcome tourists back. -
Dubai welcomed tourists back for the first time in months on Tuesday, July 7. -
Sheikh Hamdan visits Dubai International Airport and reviews the preparations and preventive protocols in place to welcome tourists back. -
Sheikh Hamdan visits Dubai International Airport and reviews the preparations and preventive protocols in place to welcome tourists back. -
Sheikh Hamdan visits Dubai International Airport and reviews the preparations and preventive protocols in place to welcome tourists back. -
Passengers arrived from a number of destinations including London, Cairo and Amsterdam on Tuesday.
