NEW DELHI, Mar 7: Explosions were heard in Dubai on Saturday forcing the suspension of flights at the city’s airport, the second busiest in the world. Some flights were later resumed, but the airport advised travelers to arrive for their journeys only after confirmation with the airline.
The government said it had activated air defences, even as passengers waiting for flights out of Dubai found themselves ushered down into train tunnels at the sprawling airfield after the alert sounded. A witness also said an explosion was heard over the airport followed by a cloud of smoke in the air.
Emirates said “all flights to and from Dubai have been suspended until further notice.” Customers who booked to travel between February 28 and March 31 were given options to rebook or request for a refund. Earlier, the Dubai government had dismissed reports of any incident at the international airport in the megapolis as videos of smoke rising above the airport circulated on social media.
The Dubai government’s media office clarified that no incident occurred at the airport. It added that no injuries were reported in a minor incident in the city resulting from fall of debris. Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 showed few flights over or near the Dubai air space, even though the official airport website showed several flights arriving and departing or scheduled to arrive and depart. The website showed 60 to 90 minutes of delays at the airport on an average.
According to the airline’s travel advisory, flights will operate to Dubai Airport, Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah Airport, Akrotiri Airport, and Fujairah International Airport. Return flights from these West Asian cities to Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad are also being operated to facilitate the return of Indian nationals.
Explosions were heard in Dubai as the multi-front war in the Middle East entered the eighth day, media reports said. Four staff members were injured and a concourse damaged at Dubai airport last Saturday, as war erupted following US-Israeli strikes against Iran. Iranian attacks have also hit the upmarket Palm Jumeirah development and the Burj Al Arab luxury hotel, while drone debris caused a fire at the US consulate in Dubai on Tuesday.
Explosions sent up clouds of dark smoke in the Iranian capital city early Saturday, and Tehran retaliated by firing missiles at Israel as the United States warned of a forthcoming bombing campaign that officials said would be the most intense yet in the weeklong conflict.
(Rohit Kumar)
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