Air travellers awoke to an unwelcome surprise on Saturday, 3 January 2026, when a blanket of dense fog swept across Dubai and the northern emirates. By dawn, Dubai International (DXB) had diverted 21 inbound flights and Dubai World Central (DWC) another two, while Sharjah International (SHJ) reported rolling delays of up to two hours. Airport operator Dubai Airports blamed the white-out conditions that settled between midnight and 08:00, cutting runway visibility to well below minimums required for safe landings .
The impact was felt far beyond the UAE’s borders. Emirates services from Colombo, Auckland, and Brisbane, along with flydubai rotations to Krabi and Mombasa, were held or rerouted to regional alternates. Air Arabia’s early-morning arrivals from Delhi and Addis Ababa circled for precious minutes before diverting to Al Ain and Muscat. Ground handlers worked through a growing line-up of wide-body aircraft seeking gates once conditions lifted mid-morning, while airline ops teams scrambled to re-crew duty rosters and re-validate take-off slots across Asia-Pacific and Africa .
Amid such unexpected reroutings, VisaHQ’s UAE desk can be a lifesaver. The company’s portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) lets stranded passengers and corporate travel coordinators secure emergency visas or re-entry permits online, track application status in real time, and receive alerts on any sudden regulatory changes—support that can turn an unplanned stopover in Muscat or Al Ain into a manageable detour.
![Dense Fog Forces Flight Diversions at Dubai and Sharjah Airports]()
For mobility managers, the disruption is a sharp reminder that weather remains one of the few uncontrollable variables in otherwise friction-free UAE air travel. Companies with consultants shuttling through DXB have been advised to build half-day buffers into itineraries during the winter “fog season” (November–February) and to enrol staff in airline SMS-alert programmes. Travellers already on tight rotation cycles—auditors, rig engineers and project managers—should keep a change of clothes and essential medications in hand luggage, as diversions often land passengers in neighbouring Gulf states overnight.
Airport authorities say contingency planning paid off: by 14:00 local time, DXB’s arrival rate was back to 70 movements per hour, with most displaced aircraft repositioned and passenger flows stabilised . Nonetheless, analysts at OAG estimate today’s fog event will ripple through airline schedules for at least 36 hours, as crews and aircraft gradually realign.
Looking ahead, the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) is warning of another high-humidity night, meaning further visibility drops cannot be ruled out early Sunday. Mobility teams should closely monitor NCM bulletins and prepare for possible repeat disruptions in the next 48 hours.
The impact was felt far beyond the UAE’s borders. Emirates services from Colombo, Auckland, and Brisbane, along with flydubai rotations to Krabi and Mombasa, were held or rerouted to regional alternates. Air Arabia’s early-morning arrivals from Delhi and Addis Ababa circled for precious minutes before diverting to Al Ain and Muscat. Ground handlers worked through a growing line-up of wide-body aircraft seeking gates once conditions lifted mid-morning, while airline ops teams scrambled to re-crew duty rosters and re-validate take-off slots across Asia-Pacific and Africa .
Amid such unexpected reroutings, VisaHQ’s UAE desk can be a lifesaver. The company’s portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) lets stranded passengers and corporate travel coordinators secure emergency visas or re-entry permits online, track application status in real time, and receive alerts on any sudden regulatory changes—support that can turn an unplanned stopover in Muscat or Al Ain into a manageable detour.
For mobility managers, the disruption is a sharp reminder that weather remains one of the few uncontrollable variables in otherwise friction-free UAE air travel. Companies with consultants shuttling through DXB have been advised to build half-day buffers into itineraries during the winter “fog season” (November–February) and to enrol staff in airline SMS-alert programmes. Travellers already on tight rotation cycles—auditors, rig engineers and project managers—should keep a change of clothes and essential medications in hand luggage, as diversions often land passengers in neighbouring Gulf states overnight.
Airport authorities say contingency planning paid off: by 14:00 local time, DXB’s arrival rate was back to 70 movements per hour, with most displaced aircraft repositioned and passenger flows stabilised . Nonetheless, analysts at OAG estimate today’s fog event will ripple through airline schedules for at least 36 hours, as crews and aircraft gradually realign.
Looking ahead, the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) is warning of another high-humidity night, meaning further visibility drops cannot be ruled out early Sunday. Mobility teams should closely monitor NCM bulletins and prepare for possible repeat disruptions in the next 48 hours.
