A British couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in Dubai found themselves stranded at the airport after a historic storm hit the desert nation, leaving thousands of people desperate for information and struggling to get home.
The storm, described as a “historic weather event,” brought torrential rain to the UAE after hitting Oman, causing power outages and disrupting flights as runways turned into rivers. Questions were raised about whether cloud seeding, a process frequently conducted in the UAE to increase rainfall, could have contributed to the heavy rains.
Retired airlines operation manager Tim Wilkinson and his wife Denise were among those stranded at the airport, unable to catch their connecting flight home to Manchester after a trip to Thailand. They were told they could get a flight to Gatwick, 230 miles away from their home, in three days.
Emirates staff struggled to accommodate passengers in overcrowded hotels, leaving many to sleep at the airport. The couple’s daughter expressed frustration at the lack of preparation by the airline, calling the situation a disaster.
Passengers like solicitor Paul Lidwith were left stranded for hours without updates or information about their flights, with some flights being diverted to a different airport due to the flooding.
Emirates announced the suspension of check-in for departing passengers due to operational challenges caused by the bad weather and road conditions. The airline apologized for the inconvenience and assured customers that they were working to restore scheduled operations.
Residents in Dubai described the storm as unprecedented, with cars submerged in water and apartments flooded. More than 142mm of rain fell in 24 hours, exceeding the average annual rainfall at the airport.
The aftermath of the storm left many travelers and residents in Dubai facing challenges and uncertainty as they navigated the impact of the historic weather event.