Dubai: Thick fog blanketed the UAE early on Wednesday, disrupting flights and creating traffic snarls till midday in some areas.
More than 300 outbound flights were reported to have been affected across the UAE from 3am to 1pm, including at Dubai International Airport, Abu Dhabi International Airport and Sharjah International Airport, according to Flight Tracker.
“Normal operations at Dubai International were disrupted this morning due to heavy fog, resulting in a number of delays and a total of 13 diversions,” a Dubai Airports spokesperson said.
The reduced visibility was also a challenge for Emirates airline. “Severe fog in Dubai on December 28 caused the delay of some Emirates flights arriving and departing at Dubai International Airport. A few Emirates flights arriving into Dubai were diverted to Dubai World Central Airport for additional fuel and quickly returned to Dubai International,” a spokesperson said.
Emirates urges customers to check their flight status on www.emirates.com
Abu Dhabi International Airport experienced some delays, but it was otherwise business as usual.
“Due to low visibility this morning, Abu Dhabi Airports confirms that six flights were diverted to other regional airports,” a spokesperson said.
“The diversions were requested by the concerned airlines as the pilots were not certified to land in such weather conditions. All other scheduled flights are operating normally today with no significant delays reported.”
Dubai Police reported a series of traffic accidents as fog reduced visibility to less than 50 metres on some roads. Police recorded 119 accidents in Dubai between 4am to 9am, but no injuries were reported. The police operations room received 1,892 calls till noon. No major accidents were reported in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
Colonel Mohammad Juma Aman, Director of Dubai Police’s Command and Control Room (operations room) said most of the accidents that occur during foggy or rainy days are big because of the low visibility and reckless driving.
“Motorists should always make sure their windshields are clean and car lights are visible to others before driving the car. They should always keep a safe distance between their vehicle and other vehicles in front of them and to reduce their speed in order to break in the right time,” he said.
