A powerful winter system sweeping across the Middle East has forced Emirates and three regional carriers to cancel 29 flights and delay another 37 on 31 January, according to airline-industry portal Travel and Tour World. Among the hardest-hit routes were Emirates services linking Dubai with the Seychelles and Madagascar, where storm cells triggered airport closures.(travelandtourworld.com)
The knock-on effect for business travel is immediate. Dubai International Airport (DXB) expects average daily passenger volumes of roughly 250,000 this week; even a handful of cancellations can ripple through tight connection windows and cargo schedules. Freight forwarders report that time-sensitive pharmaceutical shipments bound for Africa are being rerouted through Doha and Muscat, adding at least 24 hours to supply chains. Ground-handling agents at DXB have activated their ‘irregular operations’ protocol, offering hotel vouchers and rebooking assistance to stranded premium passengers.
![Severe weather grounds Emirates flights and snarls UAE-linked air corridor]()
For travellers suddenly rerouted through unfamiliar transit points, visa rules can change as fast as the weather. VisaHQ’s platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) lets passengers and corporate travel teams instantly verify entry requirements, secure emergency e-visas, and even arrange travel insurance, smoothing the paperwork crunch that often follows large-scale flight disruptions.
While Emirates is waiving change fees for affected itineraries, travellers holding non-refundable hotel and conference bookings face potential losses. Mobility managers are advising UAE-based employees to build extra buffer days into February trips and to register with airline SMS-alert systems. Companies with critical staff movements are dusting off old contingency charters between Dubai’s Al Maktoum airport (DWC) and secondary hubs such as Abu Dhabi or Ras Al Khaimah.
Meteorologists caution that climate-driven volatility is increasing the likelihood of similar disruptions during the Gulf winter. The UAE’s National Centre of Meteorology has already upgraded its fog-detection network and is trialling ‘cold cloud seeding’ to dissipate dense fog over runways. For global-mobility teams, the takeaway is clear: weather-proofing travel policies is no longer optional.
The knock-on effect for business travel is immediate. Dubai International Airport (DXB) expects average daily passenger volumes of roughly 250,000 this week; even a handful of cancellations can ripple through tight connection windows and cargo schedules. Freight forwarders report that time-sensitive pharmaceutical shipments bound for Africa are being rerouted through Doha and Muscat, adding at least 24 hours to supply chains. Ground-handling agents at DXB have activated their ‘irregular operations’ protocol, offering hotel vouchers and rebooking assistance to stranded premium passengers.
For travellers suddenly rerouted through unfamiliar transit points, visa rules can change as fast as the weather. VisaHQ’s platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) lets passengers and corporate travel teams instantly verify entry requirements, secure emergency e-visas, and even arrange travel insurance, smoothing the paperwork crunch that often follows large-scale flight disruptions.
While Emirates is waiving change fees for affected itineraries, travellers holding non-refundable hotel and conference bookings face potential losses. Mobility managers are advising UAE-based employees to build extra buffer days into February trips and to register with airline SMS-alert systems. Companies with critical staff movements are dusting off old contingency charters between Dubai’s Al Maktoum airport (DWC) and secondary hubs such as Abu Dhabi or Ras Al Khaimah.
Meteorologists caution that climate-driven volatility is increasing the likelihood of similar disruptions during the Gulf winter. The UAE’s National Centre of Meteorology has already upgraded its fog-detection network and is trialling ‘cold cloud seeding’ to dissipate dense fog over runways. For global-mobility teams, the takeaway is clear: weather-proofing travel policies is no longer optional.
