The Lebanese airline logo Middle East Airlines on one of its planes at Beirut Airport. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Middle East Airlines (MEA) announced on Friday the schedule of flights to and from Dubai for the next three days amid a "temporary reduction in the number of flights" following a storm that hit the United Arab Emirates.
Flights ME1430/1430 (scheduled for Friday), ME430/430 (Saturday) and ME426/427 (Sunday) have been canceled "due to the restrictions imposed by Dubai Airport Authorities," according to MEA.
Nonetheless, from Friday to Sunday, two flights (from Beirut to Dubai) and two other flights (from Dubai to Beirut) are still scheduled on a daily basis.
On Friday, ME426 left Beirut at 7:30 a.m. and ME428 will take off from Beirut at 4:25 p.m. Meanwhile, ME427 will depart from Dubai at 12:45 p.m. (UAE time) and ME429 will leave Dubai at 9:40 p.m.
On Saturday, the timings of the flights between the two cities are exactly the same as on Friday.
Finally, on Sunday, ME428 and ME430 will move from Beirut at 4:25 p.m. and 9 p.m. respectively while ME429 and ME431 will take to the air at 9:40 p.m. and 2:15 a.m. (UAE time) respectively.
On Tuesday, MEA cancelled its flights ME428/429 and ME430/431 to Dubai.
Dubai International Airport, one of the world's busiest transport hubs, diverted all inbound flights on Tuesday due to torrential rains and extensive flooding.
Dubai Airport, where more than 100 flights were expected on Tuesday evening, initially suspended operations for 25 minutes in the wake of chaos caused by the storm. This kind of weather is a rare phenomenon in the desert country.