Emirates CEO: Firefighter killed at airport while responding to accident

Regarding the pilot of the airline, Maktoum said, “The flight pilot is a well experienced Emirati national with more than 7000 flight hours.”

Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum also told a news conference on Wednesday night that 10 people were hospitalized after the incident at Dubai International Airport earlier in the day.

The accident happened as Flight EK521, a Boeing 777, was arriving from the southern Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram. There were 300 people on board the aircraft at the time.

Meanwhile, the Dubai Media Office says departure and arrival operations at Dubai International Airport have resumed after several hours of delays caused by the crash landing of an Emirates Airline flight.

The carrier says no fatalities were reported among the 300 people onboard the flight that was arriving from the southern Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram Wednesday afternoon.

Emirates predicted there would be an eight-hour delay in operations across its network, disrupting travel plans for thousands of passengers during the busy summer vacation season.

The Dubai Media Office said flights resumed at the airport a little before 7 p.m. The airport is the busiest air hub in the world in terms of international passenger traffic.

At least 300 passengers, mostly Indians, had a miraculous escape on Wednesday when an Emirates flight EK-521 from Thiruvananthapuram crash landed on the Dubai International Airport runway.The incident shut down one of the world’s busiest airport for several hours.

Emirates airline said that all passengers were safe and escorted to safety after the incident. At least 10 people were treated with burn injuries and smoke inhalation who were later shifted to a hospital after the accident.

Among the passengers, seven infants were also onboard, said Thiruvananthapuram Airport director George Tharakkan. The flight was carrying 74 foreigners, including 24 from the UK, six each from the US and Saudi Arabia and 11 from UAE.

(With inputs from AP)