Heavy rains in UAE: Emirates, Etihad and flydubai flights delayed due to extreme weather

Dubai: UAE airlines Etihad, Emirates and flydubai are experiencing delays to flights as heavy rain falls in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

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Etihad Airways flights may be delayed

Due to the adverse weather conditions including heavy rains in Abu Dhabi (AUH) on 17 April, some Etihad Airways flights may be delayed, the airline said in a statement today.

“Guests are advised to regularly check etihad.com for the latest information about their flight departure and allow plenty of time to travel to the airport," added the statement.

"Etihad will be working closely with guests affected by any disruption to assist them with changes to their itineraries and to reach their final destination. The safety and comfort of our guests and crew is our number one priority and we regret any inconvenience caused.”

Multiple Emirates flights experiencing disruptions

Due to adverse weather conditions, multiple Emirates' flights to and from DXB are experiencing delays or disruptions, according to an update published by the company on its official X account.

To check the status of an upcoming flight, passengers are advised visit https://emirat.es/flightstatus. For help with with an existing booking, they can visit https://emirat.es/support.

flydubai temporarily suspends all departing flights 

A flydubai spokesperson said that the severe weather conditions across the UAE today have resulted in significant disruption to the airline's operations at Dubai International (DXB). “As a result, many flydubai flights have been cancelled or experienced extensive delays. The severe weather conditions are expected to continue throughout the night and into tomorrow (17 April).”

All flydubai flights scheduled for departure from Dubai this evening (16 April) have been cancelled effective immediately until 10:00 (Dubai local time) on 17 April. During this period, passengers who do not have Dubai as their final destination will not be accepted for travel.

“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and update our schedule accordingly. This will allow us to restore operational continuity more efficiently and accommodate arriving flights from around the network where possible,” the spokesperson said.

Passengers who hold bookings that have been cancelled will be offered a full refund. “Our Customer Service teams are working extremely hard to mininise the disruption to our passengers’ travel schedule. The safety of our passengers and crew is always our priority. We apologise for the inconvenience caused as a result of the adverse weather.”

Operations temporarily suspended for 25 minutes at DXB

More than 40 flights were canceled and inbound services were temporarily diverted until weather conditions improve. The rain forced Dubai International Airport, one of the world's busiest, to suspend operations for 25 minutes.

“Due to the intense storm, operations were temporarily suspended for 25 minutes this afternoon, but have since recommenced, and are now in recovery mode,” the airport said in a statement.

“A total of 21 outbound and 24 inbound flights have been cancelled since 12.02 am this morning, and 3 flights were diverted to other neighbouring airports,” the spokesperson said

The UAE experienced its heaviest rainfall in history over the past 24 hours, surpassing all records since data collection began in 1949. This historic downpour affected many regions across the country. The National Centre of Meteorology confirmed this unprecedented event, stating that even greater rainfall amounts are expected in the hours ahead.