SIA diverts Dubai-bound flight after heavy floods hit airport

Customers can visit the SIA website for more information on the status of their flights. - ST FILE

SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines (SIA) has rerouted a flight bound for Dubai due to heavy floods at the city’s international airport.

In response to queries, an SIA spokesman said that flight SQ494, which was headed to Dubai from Singapore on Tuesday (April 16), was diverted to Muscat International Airport in Oman.

SIA is working closely with the authorities on immigration clearance in Muscat for passengers on board the flight. Once clearance has been given, all affected passengers will be transferred to hotels there, added the spokesman.

He said that SIA plans to operate the airbus A350-900 from Muscat for Dubai once it receives clearance to do so, and once the operating crew have fulfilled their minimum regulatory rest period.

There were 307 passengers and 14 crew members on board the affected flight.

Meanwhile, two flights scheduled to operate between Singapore and Dubai on April 17 have been cancelled due to the ongoing operational restrictions at Dubai International Airport.

Flight SQ494 was due to fly from Singapore to Dubai, while flight SQ495 was scheduled to fly the opposite route.

The spokesman said: “As the situation in Dubai remains fluid, SIA is closely monitoring the situation and will inform our customers if there are any further changes to their flights.”

Customers can visit the SIA website for more information on the status of their flights, he added.

He also urged customers to update their contact details via the “manage booking” function on SIA’s website, or subscribe to a mobile notification service to receive updates to their flight status.

Dubai, the Middle East’s financial centre, has been paralysed by the torrential rain that caused floods around the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and left 18 dead in Oman on April 14 and 15.

The world’s busiest air hub for international passengers, which had been expecting more than 100 flights on the evening of April 16, briefly halted its operations in the chaos caused by the storm.

The airport said on April 17 that it was experiencing significant disruption due to the bad weather and was working to restore normal operations as quickly as possible.

Flights have been delayed or diverted and impacted by displaced crew, the airport said in a statement, adding that recovery would take some time. - The Straits Times/ANN