UAE flight disruptions
Heavy rain and drone debris caused delays and cancellations at Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports today as operations recover, and Terminal 3 saw an overnight closure before resumption ( ). Qatar Airways is operating a reduced schedule with restrictions in place at least through March 28, while Delta ran a 72‑hour Asia‑Pacific award sale that required booking by March 26 ( ).
Debris from an intercepted drone struck DXB’s Terminal 3 arrivals roof at about 01:30 local time on March 25, prompting a temporary suspension of inbound movements that lasted roughly two hours and led to several inbound diversions; two ground‑handling employees were treated for smoke inhalation and minor cuts. (visahq.com) A separate mid‑March incident saw far wider airborne disruption: Flightradar24‑sourced tracking showed about 65 flights bound for Dubai were diverted to 34 alternate airports during the March 16 disruption. (msn.com) Emirates and flydubai were operating a combined schedule of roughly 207 departures through the day despite the interruptions, while meteorological forecasts warned the most intense phase of the storm system would peak overnight into Friday, increasing the risk of further operational delays. (travelpirates.com) Qatar Airways’ official travel alert — posted mid‑March and coordinated with Qatar’s civil aviation authority — lists a revised limited timetable covering 18–28 March 2026 and directs affected customers to enhanced rebooking and support options on its travel‑alerts page. (qatarairways.com) Delta’s 72‑hour SkyMiles award flash sale required bookings by March 26 and advertised Asia‑Pacific award inventory with fares starting in the neighborhood of 30,000 SkyMiles round‑trip on select routes, according to Delta and independent award‑deal trackers. (delta.com)
