Dubai - The Dubai International Airport was flooded with calls from anxious passengers and relatives inquiring about the disruption of flights to Beirut following the flash strike yesterday by air traffic control personnel there demanding better working conditions.
The information desk at the Dubai Airport was literally besieged by travellers and their kin. The telephones never stopped ringing with people asking about cancellations, delays and rescheduling of flights.
An Emirates' spokesperson said services between Dubai and Beirut were cancelled due to industrial action by air traffic control personnel at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport. All passengers affected by the cancellations have been booked on the next available flight. Emirates' staff in Dubai and Beirut are providing affected passengers with all necessary assistance. Emirates will resume scheduled services between Dubai and Beirut today, October 8, and will operate the larger B777-300 aircraft on the route in order to handle the increased passenger load.
All incoming and outgoing flights from Beirut were either cancelled, delayed or rescheduled due to the strike in the Lebanese capital, said sources at Dnata, Dubai International Airport and Emirates airline. The 24-hour strike has affected 30 Arab and foreign airlines.
Some passengers were told that the cause of delay was the airport authority in Beirut opting for thenew schedule of flights because of the change to a "winter timing". Many other passengers planning to leaving for Beirut and people who were waiting for the arrival of their relatives from Beirut thought that a problem at any of the two airports could be the reason for the delay.
They left the airport after waiting for a long time following a confirmation about the delays via the information system.
However, the Sharjah International Airport did not face any such chaos as Air Arabia is the only carrier that operates flights between the emirate and Beirut, noted a source at the airport's information desk. "The carrier operates daily flights to Beirut except Wednesday. The departure time is 9.45pm. The system did not show any delays in today's flight departure time," a source at the information desk said.
Strike: The cancellation was for arrival and departure flights following notification made by Beirut Airport. "The problem is not related to Emirates or the Dubai International Airport. It is rather related to the Traffic Control at Beirut Airport which informed about a strike," clarified Mais Sadi, a senior staff at the Call Centre of the Emirates, the carrier which announced the cancellation of two flights arriving in Dubai from Beirut and two other flights departing from the airport to the Lebanese capital.
A flight scheduled to depart at 7.20am from Dubai Airport, and another flight scheduled at 5pm have been cancelled after receiving notification from Beirut airport for cancellation of the flights, she said.
Two other Emirates' flights arriving from Beirut were cancelled as well. "Actually, the two flights which arrived from Beirut return on the same day to the Lebanese capital," she noted.
The first flight is scheduled to leave Beirut airport at 8.45pm and arrive in Dubai at 1am, and the second flight leaves Beirut at 10.50am and arrives in Dubai at 3pm. These two flights were also cancelled, she noted.
The 7.20am flight that is operated by Emirates from Dubai to Beirut daily except on Mondays will be resumed today.
"This was the information Emirates has had until yesterday afternoon. We will notify passengers with confirmation or cancellation of the 7.20am trip to Beirut," she said.
Emirates also operates another flight at 5pm daily except on Saturdays from Dubai to Beirut.
The carrier operates a flight from Beirut to Dubai at 8.45pm departure time and 1am arrival time daily except on Saturday. And, another flight from Dubai to Dubai at 10.50am departure time and 5pm arrival time daily except on Monday. "These flights will be resumed as usual as the notification was made just till the October 7 flight schedule," she noted.
The Middle East Airline, which operates two daily flights between Dubai and Beirut, announced the cancellation of the flight departing Dubai at 9.45am because the flight from Beirut which was supposed to arrive at 1am was cancelled, said sources at Dubai International Airport.
The other flight, scheduled at 8.50pm, was rescheduled to depart Dubai at 12.20am.
Homs Air of Yugoslavia was supposed to arrive at Dubai International Airport from Beirut at 12 midnight. The flight arrived at 6.50am. Subsequently, the departure of the plane back to Beirut was delayed from the scheduled 1am to 9.20am, said a source at the airport.
Another source said that until yesterday afternoon there were no changes regarding the Tunisian flight which leaves from Tunis for Dubai via Beirut. The arrival time at Dubai International Airport remained unchanged -- 7.30pm.
"We expect that the flight route will be made direct from Tunis to Dubai. Until now we did not receive any notification on probable earlier arrival in Dubai," he said.
The Malaysian Air flight leaving Dubai for Beirut scheduled at 7.30pm today, remained unchanged, said another source.By Eman Al Baik
© Khaleej Times 2005
