Dubai - Dubai International, one of the world's busiest airports, cancelled, diverted and delayed flights on Saturday due to heavy rain and flooding, Dubai Airports said.
Flights are likely to be delayed throughout the day and some have been cancelled or diverted to nearby Al Maktoum airport, state-owned Dubai Airports said on Twitter.
Video footage and images posted on social media showed part of the airport's runway area submerged under water. Reuters could not immediately verify the footage.
Dubai airport is the base of airlines Emirates and flydubai.
Emirates said several flights to and from Dubai had been delayed. Flydubai said its flights were also delayed, while some had been diverted.
This is Dubai airport right now 😳 pic.twitter.com/UeSYBG2xdO
— Mohsin Bilal Khan (@MohsinBilalKhan) January 11, 2020
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/dubai?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#dubai #flood #rainstorm pic.twitter.com/FqVOu0h8nR
— Anthony Carchidi (@adventuringanth)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dubai?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Dubaiwhen cloud seeding goes a bit too far.... 😂 pic.twitter.com/hZAXkiCYy7
— Andrea Arletti (@ArlettiAndrea)
Dubai right now.
— Kamran Muzaffer (@Krick3r) January 11, 2020
Never experienced so much rain here. pic.twitter.com/a2Ub19PW0W
This is Dubai airport right now 😳 pic.twitter.com/UeSYBG2xdO
— Mohsin Bilal Khan (@MohsinBilalKhan) January 11, 2020