Emirates operates ‘limited’ schedule after latest Iran strike

Emirates’ plans to build back its network hit a setback on Monday after an Iranian airstrike hit a fuel depot near Dubai International Airport, halting flights.

The drone attack was brought under control and no injuries were reported. But traffic in the vicinity, on road and tunnel links to the airport, was stopped. Some flights were diverted to the city’s other airport, Al Maktoum International.

Emirates announced that flights in and out of the city were suspended, but shortly after 10am the state-backed carrier announced that a “limited” schedule was to restart.

“Unfortunately, some flights from today’s schedule have been cancelled,” it said in a statement.

The Dubai flag carrier had been one of the busiest in the region and had been flying to almost 120 destinations before Monday’s attack.

According to aviation analytics company Cirium, of the 2,796 flights scheduled by Emirates since the start of the conflict, 1,581 have been cancelled. An estimated 644,133 seats have been affected.

Its figures are based on an average load factor of 80 percent and an average of 242 seats per flight. It excludes intra-Middle East flights.