The past few days have been turbulent for travellers flying between India and Dubai. The biggest airline in India based on passenger numbers, IndiGo, was forced to call off many of its flights to Dubai in the middle of the week. Other major carriers like Air India, Air India Express, Vistara and SpiceJet also joined the flight cancellations to ensure passenger safety.
The cause of this widespread disruption was the unprecedented rainfall that pounded Dubai and other parts of United Arab Emirates since Monday. Dubai airport, one of the planet's busiest international hubs, saw its operations severely impacted due to the torrential rains that flooded roads and caused drain problems across cities.
While 10 flights from New Delhi to Dubai had to be cancelled on Wednesday, there was also the scrapping of 9 incoming services to Delhi. Passengers faced uncertainty and last-minute changes to travel plans. Carriers like Air India expressed regret for the difficult situation and allowed rescheduling of tickets free of cost.
After two days of wet weather misery, Dubai airport authorities stated limited resumption of flights on Thursday with warnings of ongoing delays. The schools across UAE also continued closure for safety on the same day.
The rain spell in 2022 has been described as the heaviest since 1949 by officials in Dubai. While cloud seeding is used occasionally to tackle water problems, drainage infrastructure still lags in many urban areas prone to waterlogging. Passengers now hope flight routines between India and Dubai return to normal soon after the torrid spell of wet weather disruption.
