Middle-East aviation suffered its worst single-day disruption of the winter season on 10 December, with 1,310 flight delays and seven cancellations logged by FlightAware. Dubai International Airport (DXB) topped the list, recording 310 delayed departures and two cancellations, VisaHQ reported on 11 December.
Operational bottlenecks ranged from winter fog and late-arriving European services to ground-handling staff shortages. Flag carriers Emirates and FlyDubai bore the brunt, while ripple effects hit onward connections through Doha, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Global-mobility managers are advising business travellers to build in longer layovers and ensure Schengen and transit visas remain valid beyond their original travel dates.
![Chaos at DXB as 1,310 flights delayed across Middle-East hubs; corporate travellers urged to review itineraries]()
In that context, VisaHQ’s digital visa-management platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) can fast-track UAE visa modifications, extend transit permits, and send real-time status alerts—giving travel coordinators a convenient safety net when weather or staffing issues force last-minute itinerary changes.
Companies with time-sensitive projects in the Gulf have begun activating ‘Plan B’ routings via Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, although those airports also experienced knock-on congestion.
DXB authorities have asked passengers to arrive at least three hours before departure and to use smart-gate facilities to speed immigration processing. Travel-risk firms note that the incident underscores the importance of dynamic visa-management tools: employees re-booked onto new flights may need to adjust entry dates on electronic permits, especially for countries that issue single-entry e-visas.
With December historically DXB’s busiest month, mobility teams should expect intermittent disruption through year-end and pre-clear assignees’ passports for exit stamps in case of last-minute terminal changes.
Operational bottlenecks ranged from winter fog and late-arriving European services to ground-handling staff shortages. Flag carriers Emirates and FlyDubai bore the brunt, while ripple effects hit onward connections through Doha, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Global-mobility managers are advising business travellers to build in longer layovers and ensure Schengen and transit visas remain valid beyond their original travel dates.
In that context, VisaHQ’s digital visa-management platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) can fast-track UAE visa modifications, extend transit permits, and send real-time status alerts—giving travel coordinators a convenient safety net when weather or staffing issues force last-minute itinerary changes.
Companies with time-sensitive projects in the Gulf have begun activating ‘Plan B’ routings via Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, although those airports also experienced knock-on congestion.
DXB authorities have asked passengers to arrive at least three hours before departure and to use smart-gate facilities to speed immigration processing. Travel-risk firms note that the incident underscores the importance of dynamic visa-management tools: employees re-booked onto new flights may need to adjust entry dates on electronic permits, especially for countries that issue single-entry e-visas.
With December historically DXB’s busiest month, mobility teams should expect intermittent disruption through year-end and pre-clear assignees’ passports for exit stamps in case of last-minute terminal changes.
