Air India Express to cut 50% India-Dubai flights, Air India cancels all flights to and from Dubai on April 19

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Earlier this week, one of the most sought-after tourist destinations, Dubai witnessed unexpected circumstances. The streets of the city were flooded as the city received over 142 mm of rainfall. The severely heavy rainfall also flooded Dubai International Airport (DXB), inundating the runway, taxiway and terminals. The city and the airport are still recovering from the historic weather event.

After receiving instructions from the Dubai Airport Authority, Air India Express will operate at 50% reduced capacity on flights to and from Dubai. The airline will be operating around 44 flights temporarily.

In a statement, an Air India Express spokesperson said, “We have adjusted our flight operations to and from Dubai to continue with the maximum permissible reduced capacity of 50% of our schedule. We took the step in adherence to the instructions issued by the Dubai Airport Authority.”

Air India Express added, “We’re closely monitoring developments and eagerly await the necessary permissions to return to our scheduled operations of 84 weekly flights connecting Dubai and various cities in India.” Air India Express has also extended the option of complimentary rescheduling or a full refund to impacted passengers.

Earlier on Friday, Dubai Airport, in a statement said, “Due to the ongoing disruption and to assist the effectiveness of recovery, DXB is temporarily limiting the number of inbound flights from 12 pm on April 19 for 48 hours. Departures will continue to operate.”

Air India also cancelled all flights to and from Dubai for the entire day today. In a statement, the airline said, “We regret to inform you of the cancellation of flights to and from Dubai due to continued operational disruptions at Dubai Airport. For today (Friday), we are doing our best to get affected customers on their way by re-accommodating them on flights as soon as operations resume.”

“Customers booked on our flights with valid tickets for travel till April 21, 2024 will be offered a one-time waiver on rescheduling and full refunds for cancellation,” the Tata-owned airline added.

Air India earlier in the day also announced the suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv in Israel until April 30 due to heightened tensions between Iran and Israel. In an internal message from CEO Campbell Wilson to Air India employees, accessed by CNBC-TV18 the CEO talked about a challenging week due to various disruptions.

Wilson said, “Disruptions started last weekend with disruptions to Tel Aviv flights and some US scheduled flights because of the closure and avoidance of certain airspace. Unprecedented rains in Dubai caused significant disruption to schedules, passengers and crew.”

 Air India Group operates around 250 flights per week between India and the UAE. The airline also operates around 12 flights between India and North America.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow