When SVT Nyheter reaches von Hallen, she is sitting in a taxi trying to make her way along the water-filled roads. She was due to fly in the morning but after six hours of waiting, she and the other 700 passengers found out that the plane would not be leaving.
– All plans are cancelled. There are no planes flying in from other countries as they don’t know if they can land because there has been such a flood at the airport, says von Hall.
“No real sewage systems”
The city of Dubai is located in a desert and von Hallen describes a society in chaos. During the time she talks to SVT, she describes cars that float or are completely under water. The cars that can get there do so through rivers of water.
– Dubai is a place where you get around by car. You can’t go, she says and continues:
– They do not manage to pump away because they do not have that equipment or are prepared for this. All the wells are flooded and water is running down the stairs.
The giant airport was forced to close
The fact that Dubai airport, one of the world’s largest, was forced to stop all arrivals on Tuesday evening had a major impact on air traffic for thousands of travelers around the world.
During Wednesday evening, the water has receded in most places in Dubai, but a large part of air traffic is still cancelled. On the airport’s website, all travelers are asked to avoid the airport as far as possible to avoid congestion.
“Recovery will take some time. We thank you for your patience while we work through these challenges,” writes the airport on X.