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Emirates briefly suspends Dubai flights amid missile scare, West Asia tensions
The suspension of services comes amid a fresh missile threat in Dubai and hours after authorities confirmed the debris from an intercepted missile.
The Emirates airlines briefly suspended flights to and from Dubai before resuming them shortly after on Saturday. The announcement coincided with the Dubai International Airport temporarily suspending operations for the safety of passengers, airport staff and the airlines crew, and later resuming it.
The Emirates flight status can be checked on its website if booked directly or passengers can reach out to their respective travel agents for the same, the airline said in a statement.
Emirates had been operating limited services from Dubai and Abu Dhabi through safe air corridors. The suspension of services comes amid a fresh missile threat in Dubai and hours after authorities confirmed a “minor incident” due to the falling of debris from an intercepted missile.
Earlier in the day, data from FlightRadar24.com showed some flights holding in the air for a while above the Dubai airport, before resuming landing.
“The safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority and will not be compromised,” Emirates said in a tweet, sharing options for passengers booked with them from February 28, the day US and Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran, triggering tensions across the Middle East.
Rebook on an alternate flight: Emirates passengers with bookings till March 31 can rebook on another flight before April 30.
Request for refund: The airline can be contacted directly by the passenger if they wish to seek refunds on their tickets. Emirates asked passengers to contact their travel agent for the same, in case the ticket was not booked directly through the airline's website.
Abu Dhabi and Dubai are among cities in the Gulf that have witnessed strikes and drone attacks over the past few days, in an escalation of the ongoing US-Iran conflict. Some buildings also sustained damage in the two cities and the UAE has reported repelling hundreds of projectiles over the past few days.
Some airlines had begun limited operations as countries tried to evacuate nationals from the Middle East.
