Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 1 went partially dark and several flights delayed following a power outage on Saturday evening.

All flights departing from gates A B C and D at Terminal 1 were moved to gates E and F. There were long queues of passengers assembled at the two gates that were functional.

The problem occurred at around 5.30pm, leaving the conveyor belts carrying luggage from check-in counters to stop working. Lights at some of the gates also went off.

Speaking over the phone to Emirates24|7 at 8.45pm, an airport official confirmed the incident and said efforts were on to rectify the problem. “We are not sure as to what caused the issue. However all passengers checking in have been asked to move to gates E and F.”

When asked if any flights were delayed he said, “There are some flights that are going to be delayed.”

Agitated passengers said they'd had to wait much longer than they were accustomed to at the efficient Dubai Airport. 

At about 8.50pm, Aravindar Gandotra, in her 60s and travelling with her husband said, “I am suffering from spondylitis. I arrived at the airport at 7.15pm, for the 10.15 flight to Delhi. But I continue to stand in the queue. I feel like I am going to collapse.”

Members of the Atwater family travelling to Virginia by the 11.30 flight said they received a call, asking to come to the airport two to three hours early. “We have already been standing in the queue for 40 minutes now,” said one of the family members. 

Meanwhile, passengers waiting to check-in luggage told this website that Area C and D had no security officials at the conveyor belts. “We were waiting for baggage screening in Area C, and the only working machine stopped functioning by the time our turn came. The authorities asked us to get back in line. After an hour’s wait we were asked to go to Area D where the manually carried luggage to the respective aircraft,” said Gyan Lal who was travelling to Atlanta.

An official spokesperson at the Dubai Civil Aviation later said the problem was rectified a little after 9pm and the services were returning to normal.

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