LONDON: Thick fog caused widespread disruption at airports in the UAE yesterday, with Emirates and Saudi among the carriers hit by the delays.
Dozens of flights were canceled or delayed at airports in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, with others diverted as visibility to less than 100 meters.
It came as thousands of people were preparing to fly out to celebrate the holiday period at home while others were due to arrive to enjoy a country that many holidaymakers associate more with sun than fog.
“Normal operations at Dubai International (DXB) have been disrupted this morning as result of weather conditions. A total of 53 inbound flights were diverted to neighboring airports, including to Dubai World Central,” Dubai Airports said in a statement to Arab News. “Dubai Airports is working with airlines and other stakeholders to ensure the comfort of our customers and normalize operations as quickly as possible.”
The disruption extended to the evening with flights due to depart to Riyadh at 4 p.m. operated by Saudia and Nasair, still showing as delayed on airport information screens
Carriers including Dubai-based Emirates and Abu Dhabi-based Etihad, apologized to customers for the delays and urged them to check their flight status before starting their journeys.
Dubai International Airport is one of the world’s busiest and a major hub for long haul travel, which means that yesterday’s fog caused knock-on delays for many passengers.
Some travelers took to social media to vent their frustration.
“Shouldn’t blame the fog, but stuck here in Dubai airport and looks like it will be for longer as haven’t heard any update yet! Will miss my connection in Paris! Not happy before Xmas,” tweeted Gracie.
The situation at the airport improved by late afternoon with Saudia telling customers that services were back to normal .
Police in the UAE also warned drivers to be extremely cautious after a spate of accidents on the country’s roads.
Fog turns festive cheer to misery in Dubai
Fog turns festive cheer to misery in Dubai
Syria accuses Hezbollah of firing shells into its territory
- “The Syrian Arab Army will not tolerate any aggression targeting Syria,” the army said in a statement to SANA
DAMASCUS: Syria said Iran-backed Hezbollah had fired artillery shells into its territory from Lebanon overnight, state media reported on Tuesday, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Lebanese Shia movement.
Syrian army officials said artillery shells fired from Lebanon landed near the town of Serghaya, west of Damascus, the state news agency SANA reported on Tuesday.
The army accused Hezbollah of targeting Syrian army positions, telling the news agency it observed Hezbollah reinforcements at the Syrian-Lebanese border.
“The Syrian Arab Army will not tolerate any aggression targeting Syria,” the army said in a statement to SANA.
Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last week when Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during US-Israeli strikes.
Hezbollah and Israeli forces have clashed in eastern Lebanon in recent days, and Israel has carried out strikes across Lebanon, including on the capital Beirut.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun accused Hezbollah of working to “collapse” the state, while the head of the group’s parliamentary bloc said it had “no other option... than the option of resistance.”
Hezbollah provided military support to former Syrian president Bashar Assad, who was overthrown in December 2024 by an Islamist coalition hostile to the pro-Iranian Shia movement.
Since then, its supply routes from Syria have been cut off, and Lebanese and Syrian authorities are trying to combat smuggling across the porous border between the two countries.
