KARACHI: Nearly 700 flights to and from Dubai were disrupted following an attack at Dubai International Airport late Sunday night, causing widespread delays, diversions and cancellations across international routes.
According to aviation sources, 65 flights were diverted to alternative airports, while several others were forced to return to their departure points. A number of flights were redirected to Al Maktoum International Airport and Muscat International Airport, while many were sent back to the airports from where they had departed.
Flight schedule data shows that around 300 departing flights from Dubai experienced significant delays, while arriving flights were delayed by more than 12 hours in some cases. Late-night departures from Dubai reported an average delay of nearly 200 minutes, severely disrupting travel plans for passengers.
Several flights connecting Pakistan with Dubai were also affected. The Airblue flight PF-784 from Islamabad to Dubai was diverted to Karachi, while Emirates flight EK-623 from Lahore to Dubai was turned back to Lahore. Similarly, EK-619 from Sialkot to Dubai returned to Sialkot.
Despite the disruptions, several flights from Pakistan were still able to operate. These included seven flights from Karachi and Lahore, five from Islamabad, three from Sialkot, and two from Multan.
However, a significant number of flights were cancelled. Eight flights each from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, four from Peshawar and Faisalabad, six from Multan, and two from Quetta were cancelled due to operational difficulties caused by the disruption.
In total, 25 flights from Pakistan to Dubai managed to operate, while around 40 flights were cancelled, aviation sources said. Officials indicated that flight operations at Dubai International Airport were gradually moving toward full restoration late Monday night. If no further incidents occur, authorities expect normal operations to resume completely from Tuesday (today).
