DUBAI/ISLAMABAD: Heavy rainfall in Dubai has led to widespread disruptions in flight operations, leaving numerous passengers, including Pakistan cricketers, stranded at airports and facing significant hardships.
Former cricket captain Misbahul Haq and Kamran Akmal, among others, found themselves stuck at Dubai airport for hours due to delayed and canceled flights while en route to the US.
Misbahul Haq expressed frustration over the lack of assistance and accommodations for stranded passengers, highlighting the lengthy queues and minimal support from airport staff.
Akmal also voiced his disappointment with the service provided by Emirates airlines via his social media account.
Similarly, passengers traveling from Madinah to Dubai via Kuwait after performing Umrah faced a two-day ordeal at Kuwait airport due to the closure of Dubai airport. Over 50 Pakistani passengers endured distressing conditions, left unattended without proper accommodations, while passengers from other nationalities were provided hotels.
Despite appeals for help, elderly, women, children, and sick passengers had to sleep on the airport floor, with no response from consulate authorities.
Flight operations have gradually resumed as the thunderstorm alert in the UAE ended. Flights from Karachi to Dubai have resumed, albeit with delays, following the havoc caused by the storms. While flights from Karachi to Dubai and Sharjah have not been canceled, departure times have been pushed back.
Meanwhile, due to a stranded PIA plane in Dubai resulting from the unprecedented rainfall, the PIA flight PK300 from Karachi to Islamabad departed significantly late.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
