After Emirates Trivandrum-Mumbai flight EK521 crash landed catching fire on the Dubai airport on Wednesday, all IndiGo flights operating to and fro India have been cancelled for today due to unavailability of runway at Dubai airport. “Due to unavailability of runway at Dubai airport, all IndiGo flights operating to and fro India stands cancelled for August 4, 2016,” said IndiGo in a statement. “From August 05 till 0730 IST August 07, 2016 – limited flights will be allowed to operate from Dubai airport,” it added. According to various reports, Jet Airways and Air India said their flights are being re-routed to Sharjah.
There were 275 passengers and crew on board the Emirates flight and all are reportedly safe but a firefighter died, the airline said. “There were 275 passengers and crew on board. Our main priority now is the safety and well-being of all involved. We are extending full co-operation to authorities & emergency services managing the situation. We will update the Emirates website & social media channels as more information becomes available,” said Emirates airlines on its Twitter handle. Images on TV and social media showed flames bursting from the front of the plane and thick, black smoke rising from the fuselage. Ambulance sirens were heard in the backdrop. “Thankfully there was no fatality among our passengers and our crew … Our first priority is the well-being of our passengers and our crew,” Emirates CEO Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Makhtoum said in a statement.