Passengers queue at the flight transfer counter at Dubai International Airport on April 17, 2024.
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Dubai Airports’ chief executive said on Friday he expected services to return to “near normal” within 24 hours after unprecedented flooding hit the major transport hub.
The United Arab Emirates has been hit by flooding caused by the worst rains the desert country has ever seen. Airlines, banks and transportation are all facing major disruptions.
“We’ve never seen anything like this,” Griffith told CNBC’s “Capital Connection” on Friday.
He added: “We hope that within the next 24 hours, the schedule will improve very significantly and we can say that it is very close to normal.”
The airport’s chief executive said it was too early to estimate the financial impact of flooding that began on Tuesday. However, he confirmed that the company that owns and operates Dubai International Airport has approved an emergency budget to provide food and water to stranded passengers, noting that all retail outlets are currently operating normally.
“Right now we’re operating at full capacity, so we haven’t even started counting it yet. The most important thing is that we take care of our customers,” he said.
Dubai International Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports and the gateway to the Middle East, is in trouble There has been chaos in recent days, with thousands of frustrated travelers stranded in terminals after flights were suspended.
Some flights resumed Thursday and Griffiths said the airport was working closely with airlines to clear the backlog and increase traffic. However, he noted that restrictions remain in place, especially for arrivals.
Dubai Airports said on Friday it would temporarily limit the number of inbound flights for 48 hours starting at noon local time.
“I am personally in contact with all the management of the various airlines that serve DXB (Dubai International Airport) and we are working hard to get more and more flights per hour,” he said.
He added: “We have traffic restrictions in place for arriving flights so that we don’t take more aircraft and every parking slot can be accommodated, and virtually every facility at the airport is fully operational.”
Dubai Airport urges passengers to be cautious when traveling, check flight status with airlines in advance, and not to arrive at the airport prematurely.
“We’re actually asking people not to go to the airport until up to two hours before their flight to give the airport a chance to recover,” Griffiths said.
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