Dubai International Airport, one of the world’s busiest, was forced to suspend operations on Wednesday after an Emirates airline passenger jet crash-landed and burst into flames on one of its runways.
Emirates, one of the world’s largest airline groups, said all 282 passengers and 18 crew on board were safely evacuated from the Boeing 777, which had come from the southern Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram.
Footage posted online showed the aircraft sliding along a runway at about 12.45pm local time (9.45am GMT) on one wing with its engine apparently detached, before a section of the right wing appears to explode. Fuel tanks are located in both wings and the fuselage of modern jets.
Emirates initially estimated that the incident would cause four hours of delay across its network but later updated this to eight hours. Incoming flights were being diverted elsewhere in the United Arab Emirates to Sharjah and Al Maktoum airports.
There were people from 20 countries among the passengers and crew, including 226 Indian citizens, 24 people from the UK and 11 citizens of the United Arab Emirates.
“All passengers and crew are accounted for and safe,” the airline said. It also set up telephone lines for concerned friends and relatives to call.
Dubai International Airport is the hub of Emirates’ worldwide operations. The airline’s rapid growth has turned the facility into the world’s busiest international airport by passenger numbers. The airport is a particularly important hub for travellers going to and from south Asia.
It was not immediately clear what caused the crash but it appeared that the landing gear on the aircraft failed during landing.
The 777 has generally enjoyed an excellent safety record. The first big accident was in January 2008, when a British Airways 777 crash-landed at London’s Heathrow airport after fuel lines to both engines froze on approach. There were no casualties.
In December 2013, a 777 operated by Korea’s Asiana crashed on landing at San Francisco International Airport after the pilots misjudged their approach. Two passengers died, including one run over by a rescue vehicle.
Boeing 777s have also been involved in two of the highest-profile aviation tragedies in recent years, both involving aircraft operated by Malaysia Airlines.
In March 2014, MH370, a 777 carrying 239 people, disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The search for the aircraft in the southern Indian Ocean continues and only small bits of wreckage, apparently from the jet, have washed up ashore.
Four months later MH17, another Malaysia Airlines 777, was shot down by a ground-to-air missile while flying over the conflict in the eastern Ukraine. Western countries and accident investigators have blamed Russian-backed rebels for tragedy, which killed all 298 people onboard. Moscow insists it was Ukrainian government forces who are to blame.
Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Emirates said the aircraft had left Thiruvananthapuram at 10.19am local time and had been due to land at Dubai at 12.50pm local time.
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