After days of chaos at Dubai International Airport, which has seen hundreds of thousands passengers stranded, the boss of Emirates Airline has offered “most sincere apologies to every customer who has had their travel plans disrupted”.
The biggest airline is Emirates, which has cancelled the flights of 200,000 passengers and delayed many more.
The airline’s president, Sir Tim Clark, has written an open letter to passengers, saying: “We know our response has been far from perfect.
“We acknowledge and understand the frustration of our customers due to the congestion, lack of information, and confusion in the terminals.
A dozen Saturday morning arrivals from key locations were cancelled, with passengers heading for the UK left with few rights.
Cancelled flights inbound to Dubai included: From this afternoon, Saturday 20 April, Emirates appears to be flying a full schedule, with some flights delayed.
John Baker, who travelled from Bangkok to Birmingham via Dubai, described chaotic scenes at the hub with inaccurate and delayed information.
“I know the weather is beyond anyone’s control, but timely information reduces irritation even if it is bad news.
The CEO of Emirates Airline has extended “most sincere apologies to every customer who has had their travel plans disrupted” following several days of chaos at Dubai International Airport, which has left hundreds of thousands of travelers stranded.
At the busiest international aviation hub in the world, unprecedented flooding has caused havoc since Tuesday. The largest airline, Emirates, has delayed and canceled more than 200,000 passenger flights.
The president of the airline, Sir Tim Clark, acknowledged that his response to the situation was far from ideal in an open letter to customers.
As a result of the traffic jams, misinformation, and confusion at the terminals, we recognize and sympathize with our customers’ frustration.
“We admit that the lengthy lines and wait periods have to end. “.
Emirates temporarily stopped accepting check-ins at its hub and for travelers scheduled to arrive from locations across the globe in an effort to relieve some of the stranded passengers and reduce the crowding at Dubai airport.
Travelers are still frequently stranded thousands of miles away from their homes. Passengers traveling to the UK were left with limited rights when twelve Saturday morning arrivals from important locations were canceled.
Inbound flights to Dubai that were canceled included:.
Emirates looks to be operating a full schedule starting this afternoon, Saturday, April 20, with a few flights running late.
“Passengers who were stranded in the airport transit area have been rebooked and are en route to their destinations,” writes Sir Tim, the most powerful person in the world of aviation.
A task force has been assembled to arrange, reconcile, and return approximately 30,000 pieces of misplaced luggage to their rightful owners.
“We kindly request your patience and understanding as we work to clear the backlog of rebooked passengers and bags over the next few days. “.
Travelers who are frustrated with delays and confusion have been speaking with The Independent. John Baker reported chaotic scenes at the hub using incomplete and delayed information while traveling via Dubai from Bangkok to Birmingham.
Even when it’s bad news, timely information helps people feel less irritated. I know that nobody can control the weather.
No information was available. Emirates is the kind of company that needs to prepare for these kind of scenarios. “.
After traveling for about eight hours, Mr. Baker finally made it to Birmingham, but it appears that his luggage is still in Dubai.
Affected other airlines include British Airways, which since Tuesday has not operated its entire schedule to and from Dubai due to airport capacity restrictions. As of Sunday, BA seems to be operating as usual.
