An Emirates airline flight carrying 300 people crash-landed at Dubai International Airport on Wednesday after reporting a landing gear issue, with all passengers and crew surviving but one firefighter killed in the emergency response.
The aircraft, Flight EK521 traveling from the southern Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram, touched down at 12:45 p.m. local time with 282 passengers and 18 crew members aboard. According to the airline’s chairman and CEO Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, 10 individuals were hospitalized following the incident, while all those on the plane evacuated safely.
A passenger, Iype Vallikadan, said the pilot informed travelers of a landing gear issue as the aircraft approached Dubai, and that an emergency landing would be executed. Following the crash-landing, the cabin crew opened all emergency exits and evacuated all individuals within minutes.
Social media users reported seeing smoke at the site, and images showed a plane ablaze on the airport’s runway. The airline confirmed that wind shear, or a sudden downdraft, was present at the airport during the aircraft’s descent, though it remained uncertain whether this factor affected the incident, according to the CEO.
One firefighter lost his life while responding to the emergency, the airline stated. Saif Mohamed Al Suwaidi, director general of Dubai’s General Civil Aviation Authority, tweeted that the agency activated its investigation team collaborating with Emirates Airlines and Dubai Airport, stating, “Our primary concern at this moment is the safety and well-being of all passengers and cabin crew.”
Boeing, the American aircraft manufacturer, announced that a technical team is ready to assist in the investigation alongside the National Transportation Safety Board. The investigation commenced immediately following the incident.
Dubai International Airport, the busiest in the region and accommodating 78 million passengers last year, reported that other flights experienced delays of approximately six hours. Operations resumed shortly before 7 p.m. local time.
Among the passengers were six U.S. citizens, 226 individuals from India, 24 from Britain, 11 from the Emirates, six from Saudi Arabia, five from Turkey, and four from Ireland. Two individuals each came from Australia, Brazil, Germany, Malaysia, and Thailand, while one each hailed from Croatia, Egypt, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lebanon, the Philippines, South Africa, Switzerland, and Tunisia.
Founded in 1985, Emirates has established a strong safety record as the largest airline in the Middle East. The crash-landing marked a significant incident at one of the world’s busiest aviation hubs, with investigators now examining the circumstances that led to the aircraft’s emergency descent.
