Emirates airline Kabul flight returns to Dubai, flydubai halts operations
Emirates is working with authorities to ensure safe operation of its flights
Dubai: An Emirates flight to Kabul has returned back to Dubai due to temporary closure of a runway at the Hamid Karzai International Airport.
“Due to the unforeseen temporary closure of the runway at the time of Emirates’ approach at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Emirates flight EK 640 to Kabul operating on August 15 has returned back to Dubai,” an airline spokesperson said in a statement.
“We are monitoring developments around the situation in Afghanistan and are working closely with all the relevant authorities to ensure the safe operation of our services - the safety of our customers and crew is of paramount importance and will not be compromised,” said the spokesperson.
Dubai’s budget carrier flydubai has temporarily suspended its operations to Kabul.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and revise our plans in line with the directives from the authorities - we will be in touch with the passengers regarding their refund and rebooking options,” said a spokesperson for flydubai.
Flydubai, which operates daily flights to Kabul, had earlier said that it was closely monitoring the situation in Afghanistan
Taliban fighters entered the outskirts of Kabul on Sunday while panicked workers fled government offices and helicopters landed at the US Embassy in the Afghan capital as the militants' further tightened their grip on the country.