Footage shows confusion, fear inside smoke-filled Emirates plane

Dubai Airport’s authority said it cancelled 116 arriving flights and another 121 departing since the accident just after midday Wednesday, while 44 planes were diverted to nearby Emirati airports.

An airport source told Express that global flights were delayed by two to six hours.

A video has emerged on internet which shows passengers of the crashed Thiruvananthapuram-Dubai flight wasting time in pulling out their luggage before evacuating the flight, which had caught fire.

The flight attendants have been praised for their actions, but they didn’t get much cooperation from the passengers, who were caught on video as they scrambled to save their belongings.

Emirates said ‘all passengers and crew on board flight EK521 from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai were safe.

Budget carrier FlyDubai said that 75 of its scheduled flights were cancelled so far, with 26 cancelled on Thursday alone.

“From August 05 till 0730 IST August 07 – limited flights will be allowed to operate from Dubai airport”, IndiGo said in a statement.

Dubai International Airport gradually started to resume operations at approximately 18:30 local time on Wednesday.

Following the incident, the airport remained shut for four hours.

“In total, over 23,000 Emirates passengers were impacted by the disruption. What more can we ask for?” the Dubai-based businessman said.

Speaking from her wheelchair, she said the 18 crew on board did their upmost to evacuate all passengers “within minutes of landing”.

Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates airline and group, confirmed the fatality of the firefighter, Jasim Issa Mohammed Hassan. “The concentration now is to recover the operation over the next few days”.

Around 10 passengers were treated for smoke inhalation and burn injuries at a hospital after the accident and only one person was admitted for long-term treatment, local media had said.

Tragically, the authorities have since reported that one courageous firefighter has died, naming Jasim Eisa Al Baloushi, a Civil Defence force worker.