Heavy rain and thunderstorms early on Friday caused significant flight disruptions. DXB is one of the world’s busiest airports and a key global transit hub.
“As of 10 am UAE time (06:00 GMT), 13 inbound flights were diverted to neighbouring airports while six outbound flights were cancelled,” said a spokesperson referring to operations at Dubai International (DXB).
Multiple Flights cancelled/delayed at Dubai intl. airport after heavy rain and thunderstorms.
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) November 18, 2023
🎥Arab_Storms pic.twitter.com/BVvuZQ62Cp
The spokesperson added that Dubai Airports is working closely with airlines, control authorities, and other service partners at DXB to minimize any inconvenience to our customers.
Tens of thousands of passengers were also affected at Doha airport after a severe thunderstorm stopped operations from 10.25 pm to midnight on Thursday night.
According to reports, at least 18 inbound flights were diverted overnight to seven different airports, including Riyadh.
Terrible suffering for hundreds of people waiting in line for the transfer desk at Doha airport after severe weather conditions which delayed many fights the day before. The manpower on the transfer desk is not what should be expected for such situation. 👏 Bravo 👌 pic.twitter.com/oxRV0KxEjN
— mikem (@mikeSx398) November 17, 2023
From 9.45 pm local time on Thursday evening to 5.15 am on Friday morning, not a single flight departed on time. Around 120 outbound flights were held up at Doha Airport.
Doha is second only to DXB among airports in the Middle East in terms of passenger numbers.
