Flights to Dubai are almost empty due to tension in the Gulf region. Due to drone attacks and missile threats, passengers are canceling trips, causing huge losses to airlines like Emirates. Less than 20% seats are being filled on many flights.
Due to the war-like situation in the Gulf region, there has been a huge decline in the number of passengers going to Dubai. The planes of the world’s largest international airline, Emirates, are flying almost empty to Dubai these days. This long-running tension has created a big challenge for airline companies.
planes flying empty
There are almost no passengers on flights coming from America and Europe. Only 5 to 10 percent of the seats on flights coming from Prague and Budapest are being filled. Only one-fifth of the tickets booked on flights coming from New York were travelling. There were only 25 people on board the huge 600-seat Airbus A380 that came from Paris to Dubai. That is, passengers are equal to the crew members of the plane! Even on flights coming from London’s Heathrow, only 20% tickets were sold.
People are leaving the city; tickets are getting canceled
There may not be people coming to Dubai, but there is a huge crowd in the flights going from Dubai. People want to reach safe places as soon as possible. In such a situation, while returning passengers, Emirates has to return with empty planes. Moreover, every day thousands of people are not traveling even after booking tickets. The company is giving the facility to passengers to refund the ticket money and change the date of journey till the end of this month.
Drone attack and missile threat become villains
The missile threat from Iran and drone attacks on airports have dealt a major blow to the aviation sector. Last Monday, a fuel tank at Dubai Airport caught fire due to a drone attack. Due to this, aircraft movement had to be stopped for about seven hours. Normally around 500 flights operate from Dubai Airport every day, but according to the data of March 16, only 71 planes took off.
Some relief from cargo service
Despite the lack of passengers, Emirates has got some relief as cargo traffic has continued to flow. Due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the main means of delivering essential goods is now air route. Emirates is now using more Boeing 777 aircraft with higher cargo carrying capacity. Airlines like Qatar Airways and Etihad have also reduced their services. According to reports, ticket bookings are very low even for the upcoming Easter season. Emirates President Tim Clark has not yet given any official statement on the situation. The company has clarified that currently it is flying only on safe routes.