Dubai International Airport announced that normal operations had
fully resumed from 2 PM on Monday onwards after the Mid-Eastern
transport hub had shut down for over seven hours after an accident
involving a Bangladeshi aircraft.
Aviation authorities revealed that following an accident during
takeoff at 6.30 AM, 27 people had been slightly injured.
Although details surrounding accident were not divulged, reports
emerged that the United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation
Authority and Dubai Department of Civil Aviation had launched an
investigation.
"Flight BG 006 from Dubai to Dhaka, carrying 229 passengers and
crew, suffered an accident during departure and failed to take
off," a DCA statement said, adding that 71 flights had been
affected by the shut-down.
Dubai, one of seven emirates comprising the United Arab
Emirates, constitutes the Gulf's biggest trade and tourism center
and its airport acts as a central stopping-off point on Eurasian
flight routes.
Thirty-six outgoing flights were cancelled due to the incident
with 35 incoming flights being diverted to other airports in the
UAE, Oman, Kuwait or Iran, the statement said.
"The closure of the runway ... was necessary to inspect its
condition and ensure that operations could be resumed. We are now
operating at full capacity but passengers should contact their
respective airlines to confirm the status of their flights," DCA
spokesman Huraiz Bin Huraiz said, as complaints were heard from
passengers seeking information about their flights.
(China Daily via agencies March 13, 2007)