Dubai International Airport is in 'recovery mode' after fierce storms lashing the emirate led to a string of cancelled and delayed flights.
The knock-on effect of two days of severe travel disruption was still being felt by airline passengers well into Sunday.
Airport chiefs said they are battling a scheduling backlog as they bid to get operations back to normal.
Travellers with Emirates heading to Mumbai, Munich, Lahore, Dhaka, Amsterdam, Birmingham, Phuket and Sydney all faced delays ranging from two to four hours to their original scheduled flight time.
Flyers with the Dubai carrier were asked to check their flight status before leaving for the airport and encouraged to arrive three hours before their departure time.
Emirates apologised for the delays in an online statement and directed passengers to its website for updates to travel times.
“The safety of our passengers and crew is of paramount importance and will not be compromised,” a spokeswoman said.
Access roads to Dubai International Airport, one of the busiest in the world, were flooded for much of Sunday morning, restricting access and reducing traffic to a crawl.
Inside the terminal building, coffee-shops were doing a booming trade as delayed passengers could only patiently sit and wait for updates.
Those facing cancellations due to the torrential rain and high winds were automatically rebooked on the next available flight with Emirates.
Robert Pilzek, 62, was returning to Krakow in Poland with his wife, Marta, after three weeks in Dubai.
“We’ve been trying to get information on our flight online, but as we are not travelling until Monday morning there is not much to go on yet,” he said.
“It could be delayed as there is still a big backlog from Saturday and Sunday.
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A municipal worker drains flood waters close to Ibn Battuta and Discovery Gardens on Sunday. Ruel Pableo for The National -
Signs were blown down across the city. Ruel Pableo for The National -
A driver tries to drain water from his car near Ibn Battuta mall. Ruel Pableo for The National -
An abandoned car sits in flood water near the low-lying Discovery Gardens, one of the worst-hit areas. Ruel Pableo for The National -
Drivers were caught out by sudden downpours for a third day in a row on Sunday, with many getting stuck. Ruel Pableo for The National -
Motorists appear to have abandoned their vehicles in this image from Ibn Battuta. Ruel Pableo for The National -
A rainbow appears among the clouds in Abu Dhabi. Talib Jariwala / The National -
Cloudy weather once again around the Corniche area in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari for The National -
High winds caused damage to many buildings, including this one in Abu Dhabi's Tourist Club area. Khushnum Bhandari for The National -
Dark clouds over the skyline of Dubai with Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. AFP -
The sign for Last Exit food truck park in Jebel Ali was torn by high winds. Ruel Pableo for The National -
So was this advert for Nakheel properties on Sheikh Zayed Road. Ruel Pableo for The National -
Torn billboards flutter in high winds on Sheikh Zayed Road on Sunday. Ruel Pableo for The National -
The low-lying Jebel Ali area is particularly badly hit. Ruel Pableo for The National -
Flooding at a car park by lorries and buses in Jebel Ali on Sunday morning. Ruel Pableo for The National -
Municipality workers use a pump at a waterlogged road in Internet City on Sunday. Ruel Pableo for The National -
Roads around Internet City were waterlogged after a fresh downpour about 7.30am on Sunday. Ruel Pableo -
Commuters head to work through Discovery Gardens. Ruel Pableo for The National -
A municipality worker clearing debris in Discovery Gardens. Ruel Pableo foir The National -
Rain clouds loom over the road to Abu Dhabi at 7am on Sunday morning. Commuters were hit with patches of driving rain from about 8am. Suhail Rather / The National -
Municipal workers attempt to clear a flooded tunnel in Sharjah on Sunday morning. Courtesy: Sharjah Municipality -
The National Center for Search and Rescue said the first rescue mission took place on Saturday morning when they received a report about two men being trapped due to flash floods in Wadi Ghashabah. A helicopter was immediately dispatched to the site where the two men, of Sudanese nationality, were found clinging to a tree about 50 meters away from the Wadi banks. The rescue team managed to airlift the men and take them to safety. Courtesy NSRC -
Flooding on Al Ishoush St, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National -
Flooding on Al Ishoush St, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National -
Overcast skies over Corniche in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National -
Commuters battle high water along the Al Manara and Beach road intersection. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Heavy rains in Dubai during the night caused extensive flooding at intersections within the city. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Commuters battle high water along the Al Manara and Beach road intersection. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Water is logged outside the Movenpick Ibn Batutta Gate Hotel from heavy overnight rain. James O'Hara / The National -
Water is logged outside the Movenpick Ibn Batutta Gate Hotel from heavy overnight rain. James O'Hara / The National -
Traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road going to Abu Dhabi. Ramola Talwar / The National -
Traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road going to Abu Dhabi. Ramola Talwar / The National -
A car drives through a waterlogged road near Al Bateen airport. Scott Walker -
A delivery van struggles to navigate flood waters near Al Bateen airport in Abu Dhabi on Saturday about 9am. Courtesy: Scott Walker -
A man sweeps water from the running track along Kite Beach. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Residents of The Greens enjoy their morning walk in the early drizzle. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Barsha Heights saw a medium amount of flooding that still proved challenging to morning commuters. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Barsha Heights saw a medium amount of flooding that still proved challenging to morning commuters. Antonie Robertson / The National -
A municipality worker supervises water being pumped from flooding along the roads near Kite Beach. Antonie Robertson / The National -
A waiter at Burts in The Greens sweeps away some water to get ready for the business day. Antonie Robertson/The National -
Residents of The Greens get out their umbrellas today for their morning walk. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Flooding in Barsha Heights. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Residents of The Greens get out their umbrellas today for their morning walk. Antonie Robertson / The National -
The Greens saw heavy rain that left the streets wet. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Residents of The Greens enjoy their morning walk in the early drizzle. Antonie Robertson / The National -
A municipality worker supervises water being pumped from flooding along the roads near Kite Beach. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Parking areas in the Discovery Gardens area in Dubai were inundated with water and residents raced to get their cars to safer spots following heavy overnight rainfall on Saturday. Courtesy: Antonie Abreu -
Flooding in Discovery Gardens. Courtesy: Antonio Abreu
“We came to the airport to see if we could get some direct information from staff here, but they can’t tell us much yet.”
It was a similar situation with passengers with Fly Dubai.
The airline faced considerable disruption to its flight schedule on Sunday, cancelling at least 13 flights.
Another facing a lengthy airport wait was Mohamed Khan, who was due to fly to Lahore with on Sunday afternoon.
“The board said my flight was four hours delayed, but I was told this could change so all I can do is wait it out,” he said.
A spokesman for Dubai Airport said operations were gradually returning to normal later in the day, but the facility was in ‘recovery mode’ as it aimed to catch up with cancellations and delays.
“Most of the backlog of flights has been cleared, but it is taking time because of the ongoing weather conditions,” he said.
A total of 22 flights were cancelled from DXB overnight, with one flight diverted to Dubai World Central due to high winds and flooding.
