Dubai: An Emirates Airline flight from Manchester to Dubai suffered delays due to a ‘technical issue’, the airline confirmed to Gulf News on Tuesday.
An airline spokesperson said, “Emirates flight EK022 from Manchester to Dubai, scheduled to depart on December 19 at 8.50 am (Manchester time), has been delayed due to a technical issue.”
The statement added, “Affected passengers are being provided with assistance, and will be re-accommodated on a replacement aircraft due to depart from Manchester on December 20 at 6 am.” The airline apologised for the delays caused.
The spokesperson said, “The safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance.”
According to aviation watchdog Aviation24.be, the aircraft - an Airbus A380 - suffered an unintentional slide deployment while it was parked at the gate. The slide was attached to one of the exits connected to a jet bridge.
The airline has been ramping up its operations to the UK to accommodate travel demand from both - UAE residents and Britons. In an earlier interview with Gulf News, dnata Travels said passenger demand to the UK from the UAE has increased by 90 per cent compared to winter 2021.
Earlier this month, Emirates introduced a third daily A380 flight to London Gatwick airport, taking the total to three double-decker flights per day between Dubai and Gatwick. This results in more than 1,000 seats between the destinations during the peak festive period.
Flights depart Dubai for London Gatwick at 2.50 am, 7.40 am and 2.25 pm as part of plans to scale up UK operations to meet sustained demand ahead of the holiday rush, said Emirates earlier in December.
