Dozens of flights were cancelled, diverted or delayed at the three main airports in the emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. At the Dubai airport, one of the busiest in the world, at least 17 flights were cancelled, as visibility dropped to just 100 metres in some areas of the emirate. Dubai airport is a major transit hub, and thousands of tourists are expected to visit the United Arab Emirates for the end-of-year festivities. Dubai carrier Emirates Airlines, which has a fleet of over 250 large planes, said it has cancelled 10 flight departures. The United Arab Emirates has a native population of just one million against nine million foreigners, most of them from the Indian subcontinent.

Source: The Express Tribune December 24, 2017 08:48 UTC