Emirates Airlines CEO writes a letter: “Two priorities”

In a message addressed directly to all Emirates customers, CEO Tim Clark apologizes for the operational chaos caused by the severe weather witnessed in Dubai this week.

“This has been one of the most difficult operational weeks for Emirates Airlines, with record storms hitting the UAE. “I would like to deeply apologize to any traveler whose travel plans have been disrupted during this period,” Emirates President Clark wrote earlier this week. On Tuesday, April 16, the United Arab Emirates witnessed extremely severe weather as a result of the heaviest rains that the country has witnessed in 75 years, which led to the flooding of many streets and Dubai Airport, and air traffic to and from the airport, one of the largest airports in the world, stopped for a short period However, the severe weather caused major disruptions to operations through the end of the week and hundreds of flights were canceled during the week, and those that were still able to depart did so with significant delays.

“Road flooding hampered the ability of passengers, pilots, cabin crew and airport staff to reach the airport, as well as transport essential supplies such as meals and other amenities for the flight,” Clark said. “We have been clear about our two priorities: taking care of passengers affected by the disruption and getting our operations back on schedule. To free up resources and capacity to treat affected passengers as a priority, we have had to suspend check-in for passengers departing from Dubai, implement a ban on ticket sales and temporarily suspend passenger movement from our network points entering Dubai. The company is also deploying additional resources to rebook passengers and operate additional flights to destinations where many travelers were stranded.

The storage is not over yet

“Behind the scenes, thousands of other employees across the organization had to work to get our activities back on track.” Emirates Airlines has been trying since Saturday morning to resume its regular flight schedule, but this is not the end of the matter. “It will take several more days to clear the backlog of passengers and checked baggage, and we ask our passengers for patience and understanding. We know that our response has been far from perfect. We recognize and understand the frustration our passengers are feeling due to congestion, lack of information and confusion at the stations. We are aware that “Long lines and wait times are unacceptable.” Clark promises that Emirates will continue to work hard to solve the problems and thanks the company's employees. “Finally, on behalf of myself and all the teams at Emirates, I would once again like to apologize to any passengers affected by this disruption.”