- A historic flood has brought the most rain in 75 years to the United Arab Emirates.
- More than 800 flights have been canceled at Dubai International Airport since Tuesday.
- Despite a warning to stay at home, Emirates reportedly encouraged cabin crew to report to work.
Emirates flight attendants in Dubai have been asked to report to work as a flood has left much of the city’s airport underwater.
A memo sent to the airline’s cabin crew was obtained by “A Fly Guy’s Cabin Crew Lounge”, a Facebook page where aviation industry staff share gossip and stories.
He encouraged staff to go to the airport despite the government asking people to stay at home.
“We are operating our flights safely and it is important that our operations continue for the benefit of our customers,” the email reportedly said.
It adds: “If you are on the work list, please continue to travel to work safely. »
Aviation news site Paddle Your Own Kanoo first reported the memo posted on Facebook.
Emirates did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Videos and photos shared by the Facebook page, which has more than a million followers, appear to show Emirates cabin crew battling floodwaters.
Other clips showed cabin crew covering themselves with plastic bags to protect their uniforms from the rain.
The UAE government media office said the country experienced the greatest amount of precipitation in 75 years.
Schools in the UAE have been closed until the end of the week, while federal government employees have been asked to work remotely.
At Dubai International Airport, some planes attempted to combat flooding. Its terminals began reopening early Thursday morning local time, although the airport said on X: “Flights continue to be delayed and disrupted.”
54% of flights departing from Dubai International on Tuesday were canceled, according to FlightAware data. More than 800 flights have been canceled in the past three days.
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