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Firefighter dies responding to Emirates plane fire at Dubai airport

Posted in Featured, International

Published on August 05, 2016 with No Comments

Emirates Airlines may have suffered its first major hull loss since it started its operations three decades ago, but the global safety accolades it has won over the years can’t be easily beaten. The UAE-based carrier has consistently landed at the top in several airline safety rankings. For at least two consecutive years, the Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre (JACDEC) rated Emirates as the world’s second-safest airline. Just this year, AirlineRatings.com, picked Emirates as one of the top 20 safest carriers to fly in. Emirates won this year’s award for having passed the stringent international Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and possessing excellent safety records. According to AirlineRatings, Emirates has not had any fatalities.

 

One of the firefighters who responded to the fire onboard a plane at Dubai airport on Wednesday has died. The General Civil Aviation Authority said the firefighter had “lost his life while saving the lives of others”. “I salute his ultimate sacrifice that kept many from harm’s way. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family,”  Saif Al Suwaidi, director general of the authority has been quoted by media in Dubai.

Investigators from the authority are working with Emirates and Dubai International Airport to determine the cause of the accident which left thirteen injured, officials said. Flight EK521 was carrying 300 people when it caught fire on the runway during landing at about 12.45pm, and later exploded. Reports had suggested that it landed without landing gear. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, chairman and chief executive of Emirates, said everyone onboard was safe.

“We can confirm that there are no fatalities among our passengers and crew. All passengers and crew are accounted for and safe,” he said via video statement.

During a press conference about the incident, Sheikh Ahmed said the Emirati pilot was experienced and had more than 7,000 flight hours. A total of 22 flights departing from Dubai International were cancelled as a result of the incident, in part because the plane was blocking a runway.

The airline said it would waive all re-booking or cancellation fees for flights affected by the incident, according to Dubai Media Office. Six inbound flights to Dubai were cancelled and four were returned to their departure airport. Thirteen flights were diverted to Dubai World Central airport, four to Sharjah International Airport, two to Al Ain International Airport, and one each to Fujairah, Bahrain and Muscat international airports.

Passengers at the airport reported on social media that the flight, which was carrying 282 passengers and 18 crew, landed without landing gear and caught fire. An explosion can be seen aboard the flight in some footage.

The airline said in a statement, “Our main priority at this time is the safety and wellbeing of all involved and full co-operation is being extended to the authorities and emergency services managing the situation. We will update the Emirates website and social media channels as more information becomes available.”

 

 

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