Emirates CEO apologizes after Dubai flood chaos says the airline has 30,000 suitcases to return.

The CEO of Emirates Airline issued an apology to customers over the weekend. Historic rainfall in UAE Caused record flooding and destruction at Dubai airport.

As a result, hundreds of flights were grounded and thousands of customers were stranded.

“I want to offer my most sincere apologies to any customers who may have had their travel plans disrupted during this time,” company chief Tim Clark wrote in a letter published on the airline’s website on Saturday.

“We know our response is not perfect. We acknowledge and understand our customers’ frustrations with terminal congestion, lack of information, and confusion. We recognize that long lines and wait times are unacceptable. “

While the airline’s service hub at Dubai Airport remained open, “congested roads impeded the ability of our customers, pilots, cabin crew, and airport employees to reach the airport, and for food and other flights.” It also hampered the movement of essential goods such as facilities,” Clarke said. wrote

“The airline diverted dozens of flights on Tuesday as the worst of the storm forced us to cancel nearly 400 flights over the next three days and delay many more, due to staff and supply shortages,” he said. Due to this, the operations of our center had to be challenged. “

Emirates issued a notice on Wednesday urging passengers not to come to the airport except in emergencies. It also suspended check-in for those flying out of Dubai, banned ticket sales and halted connecting flights to Dubai from other cities, leaving some travelers stranded around the world.

Social media was ablaze with angry posts from customers who said they had received no help from Emirates staff and were unable to contact anyone at the company.

“12 hours waiting on a canceled flight and 6 hours waiting at this desk with people fainting, fighting and trying to stay sane,” one Instagram user posted alongside a photo of a crowd in front of Emirates. There is absolutely no contact with the Emirates.” Screens at Dubai Airport The time stamp on the photo was 7:05 a.m. Friday.

Another passenger told CNBC via social media: “It took me 48 hours to get from London to Baghdad via Dubai. Five hours on the tarmac. [in Dubai], for an hour of which there was no one to open the bridge doors of the aircraft. I made my own way… found a hotel and went back, waited for 12 hours. Went on the flight and they offered us almonds.”

Some said they were stranded at the airport for more than 20 hours, and others, who were stranded in foreign cities and connecting at airports, said they had to leave their homes after receiving no help from the Emirates. Had to book the return home myself.

Clark said his staff did their best to deal with the unprecedented situation, and that “thousands more employees across the organization were all working to get our operations back on track.”

The CEO wrote that the airline “deployed more than 100 employee volunteers to attend to affected customers in the departure and transit area of ​​Dubai Airport, giving priority to medical cases, elderly and other vulnerable passengers”. He added that more than 12,000 hotel rooms have been provided for customers in Dubai, as well as 250,000 meal vouchers have been issued.

By Saturday, Emirates’ regular flight schedule had been restored. In the letter, Clarke said the airline still has more than 30,000 items to return to customers.

“We have assembled a task force to sort, reconcile and deliver around 30,000 pieces of left-back baggage to their owners,” he said, adding that “rebooked passengers and bags It will take us a few more days to clear the backlog, and we ask for customers’ “patience and understanding”.

Clarke pledged to improve the airline’s operations and thanked its staff for their work, as well as “sorry to every customer affected by this disruption.”