Emirates was forced to temporarily suspend all operations “for the safety of passengers, airport staff and airline crew”
An Emirates Airlines A-380 plane prepares for takeoff (Stock)(Image: Getty)
A Dublin-bound Emirates flight has been delayed after Dubai Airport was struck by an Iranian drone.
Emirates was forced to temporarily suspend all operations “for the safety of passengers, airport staff and airline crew”. A video of the strike was widely shared on social media, showing the device hurtling towards the airport before billows of smoke are seen.
It’s understood that a fire was reported in Terminal 3 of Dubai Airport. A Dublin-bound Emirates flight was due to take off from airport at 9:45am Irish time this morning but this was delayed until 1pm today.
The flight is due to arrive into Dublin Airport shortly after 10pm.
In a statement, Emirates said they “will resume operations. Passengers who have confirmed bookings for this afternoon’s flights may proceed to the airport. This includes customers transiting in Dubai, if their connecting flight is also operating.
“Customers can check the flight schedule for upcoming flights, as well as book seats to travel via http://emirat.es/nowoperating.
“Emirates continues to monitor the situation, and we will develop our operational schedule accordingly.
“We would like to thank our customers for their understanding and patience. The safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority and will not be compromised.”
Separately, the Irish Embassy in the UAE said Emirates was operating a daily flight to Dublin, and they were working with the airline to try to increase this to two a day.
They also said Qatar Airways has begun flights to Europe and they were working with Qatari authorities to get Irish people on any flights to Europe – because no flights are currently planned to Europe.
A government-chartered flight from Oman to Ireland is also due to take off today.
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