Passengers queue at a connection counter at Dubai International Airport on April 17, 2024.
Afp | Getty Images
The CEO of Dubai Airports said Friday he expects services to return “nearly normal” within 24 hours after the main transit hub was hit by unprecedented flooding.
The United Arab Emirates has been rocked by flooding caused by the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the desert state. Airlines, banks and transportation have all faced major disruptions.
“We’ve never seen anything like this,” Griffiths told CNBC’s “Capital Connection” on Friday.
“We hope that in the next 24 hours there will be a very significant improvement compared to the schedule that we can describe as very close to normality,” he added.
The airport’s CEO said it was too early to quantify the financial impact of the disruption caused by flooding which began on Tuesday. He did, however, confirm that the company, which owns and operates Dubai International Airport, had approved emergency budgets to provide food and water to stranded passengers, and noted that all outlets were operating now normally.
“We’re putting all of our effort into the operational side right now, so we don’t even begin to count them. The most important thing is that we take care of our customers,” he said.
Dubai International Airport, one of the busiest in the world and a gateway to the Middle East, is mired in chaos in recent days, with thousands of frustrated travelers stranded in terminals after flights were suspended.
Some flights resumed on Thursday and Griffiths said the airport was working closely with airlines to eliminate the delay and improve throughputs. However, he noted that restrictions remain, particularly on arrivals.
Dubai Airport announced on Friday that from noon local time it would temporarily limit the number of incoming flights for 48 hours.
“I am personally in touch with all management of the different airlines that serve DXB (Dubai International Airport), and we are trying to have more and more flights every hour,” he said.
“We have imposed flow restrictions on arrivals, so as not to take more planes and to be able to accommodate every stand, and every facility at the airport is actually fully operational,” he added.
Dubai Airport has urged passengers to exercise caution when traveling, check with airlines beforehand to confirm their flight status and not arrive at the airport too early.
“Our message is really that we are asking people not to go to the airport a maximum of two hours before their flight departs to give the airport a chance to recover,” Griffiths said.
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