Emirates warns travellers of busy National Day weekend

Nearly 30,000 passengers will crowd Dubai International’s T3 on Thursday

Dubai international airport welcomed more than 88 million passengers in the 12 month to the end of May. AP Photo

More than 113,000 travellers will pass through Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 3 (T3) from Wednesday to Sunday, Emirates said in a statement.

The Dubai carrier expects “higher than usual passenger traffic on its flights over the course of the upcoming National Day weekend”. A third of that will be on Thursday, hitting nearly 35,000 people.

The busiest time for the airline is in December as people travel home or abroad for the holiday season, with last year seeing a total of 307,000 passengers passing through the Emirates’ concourses and T3 between December 14 to 17.

Emirates has issued reminders to customers for early-arrival at the airport, at least three hours before flight departure. “With road works and construction in progress around the airport, customers are encouraged to plan extra time to get to the airport to avoid delays,” the statement said.

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If passengers are really worried about time, they can check in as early as six hours before a flight’s departure and up to 60 minutes before a scheduled departure. Desktops and mobile devices can be checked in 48 hours to 90 minutes before take-off. Customers may also check in and drop off luggage in advance, up to 24 hours ahead of the flight.

Another reminder: boarding begins 45 minutes before each flight with gates closing 20 minutes before departure. “If passengers report late Emirates will not be able to accept them for travel. Check-in and gate closure timings will be strictly followed to ensure flights depart on schedule,” Emirates said.