The planereportedly caught fire mid-air. The Boeing 777 flightEK521was flying in from the southern Indian city of Trivandrum. Among the passengers were 24 British nationals.
The Dubai government confirmed that the plane had made an emergency stop at the airport shortly after 1pm local time (10am UK time). According to the Dubai government media office, all passengers were evacuated safely and no major injuries have been reported. One person, probably a flight attendant, was taken to a hospital.An update is supposed to be given shortly.
All operations at Dubai International Airport suspended
Dubai airport announced that all operations (arrivals and departures) at Dubai International Airport have been suspended until further notice following the incident. Dubai International Airport is one of the world’s busiest airports for International passengers and a major transport hub. Dubai is also a popular travel destinationfor International tourists, including tourists from the UK.
Plane crash-landed before exploding
No details of the crash-landing are revealed yet, but images shared on social media suggest a belly landing of the plane. Big thick smoke came from the plane, with no landing gear visible. Shortly after, the plane exploded.
Passengers on planes landing at the airport at the time of the crash were shocked. Sarah-Louise Sherwood told the BBC: "I couldn't believe my eyes. I was absolutely horrified.“A dramatic video appears to show the plane exploding on the runway.
Emirates Airlines has a good safety record
Emirates Airlines, the Middle East's biggest airline, has an excellent safety record.
In January 2016, Emirates Airlines was rated as having a perfect 7/7 safety and product rating by aviation analysis portal AirlineRatings.com. The ratings took into account operational history and incident records. In general, air travel is considered a safe way of traveling.
Boeing 777 is “the backbone of our fleet”, according to the Emirates Airlines.The airline is the world’s biggest operator of Boeing’s 777 models, and is the only airline to fly all six different models, reports the UAE newspaper 'The National'. It currently flies 157 Boeing 777s to 109 destinations around the world.
