Emirates suspends check-in as Dubai airport grapples with flood backlog

The Emirates airline suspended check-ins again for all of Friday, impacting thousands more vacationers, following devastating floods across the United Arab Emirates that saw a record amount of rainfall and the airport closed due to waterlogged roads and runways.

From Monday night to Tuesday evening, more than 142 millimeters (5.6 inches) of rain fell on Dubai. The desert city was drenched in more than a year and a half’s worth of rain that flooded major highways, damaged buildings and disrupted flights at Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest. In 2023, some 86.9 million passengers passed through the airport for flight connections or traveling to and from Dubai. Authorities had to completely close the airport on Wednesday while airlines including Emirates had to close check-in through much of the week due to the downpour. 

In a statement on the X platform Friday, the airline wrote: “Emirates is suspending check-in for all customers in our network travelling with onward connections through Dubai until 2359hrs [GMT] on 19 April. This is to support operations recovery from the recent bad weather at our Dubai hub.” 

The airline said that passengers already in Dubai and in transit will continue to be processed for their flights. It added that customers with Dubai as their final destination may check in and travel as usual.

The UAE's national airline said customers should expect delays in departures and arrivals and are advised to check the latest flight schedules on its website.

Many of the roads around Dubai International Airport are still deluged. The airport wrote on X Friday that it would limit arriving flights for 48 hours from noon local time Friday.

“We urge you to only come to the airport if your airline has confirmed the departure of your flight. As we're currently facing congestion, please do NOT arrive too early. Aim to get to your terminal no earlier than 2 hours before your departure time,” the airport said on the X platform. 

Scientists believe the intense rains were caused by human-driven climate change as the warmer atmosphere retains more moisture before a downpour. However, some reports said that “cloud seeding” — adding particles to clouds to make them produce more rain — could have made the downpour heavier. Due to its arid climate and need for water, the UAE regularly carries out cloud seeding.

The flood impacted other countries in the Gulf, including Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and 18 people were killed in Oman in the floods on Tuesday.