Flights from UAE to Istanbul cancelled after airport terror attack kills 41

Flights between the UAE and Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport have been cancelled after a triple suicide bombing and gun attack at the country’s biggest airport killed at least 36 people.

Attackers began spraying bullets at the international terminal entrance before blowing themselves up at about 10pm local time on Tuesday night, Turkish authorities said. Ozan Kose / AFP

DUBAI // Flights between the UAE and Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport have been cancelled following the terrorist attacks.

The UAE on Wednesday condemned Tuesday’s terror attacks, with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, expressing his condolences.

Sheikh Abdullah said the UAE supported Turkey in its fight against terrorism.

Dubai resident Genevieve, 38, was at the airport just a couple of hours before the terror attack but managed to safely board her flight to the UAE. She said she felt very lucky to be alive. “We had no clue what had happened until we reached Dubai airspace and everyone’s phone started going off at the same time,” she said.

“Once we all realised that we had just avoided the incident by hours, there was silence on the aircraft. When we touched down, everyone started getting calls, asking them whether they were safe.”

An Emirates spokeswoman said due to the closure of Ataturk Airport, flights EK121/122 between Dubai and Istanbul yesterday had been cancelled.

She said all passengers booked on those would have the option to transfer services between Dubai and Sabiha Gokcen International Airport on EK119/120 yesterday. “The safety of our passengers, crew and staff is always our top priority and will not be compromised,” she said.

Emirates said it was monitoring the situation in the Turkish capital closely.

Etihad Airways’ flights EY097/096, which were scheduled to operate between Abu Dhabi and Istanbul, were also cancelled on Thursday.

Passengers who had bought tickets before June 29 and were booked to travel to and from Istanbul were given alternative options.

Among the options were one free-of-charge move to another date of travel on or before July 10 in the original class of booking or rerouting to either Athens, Larnaca or Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen airport, until July 10.

“The airline is providing all necessary assistance to passengers who may miss their connecting flights as a result of this event and advising them of itinerary changes,” Etihad said.

Meanwhile, FlyDubai said its flights were running according to schedule, because it operated from Sabiha Gokcen and not Ataturk airport.

Genevieve, a resident of Dubai for 16 years, said it took a while for the severity of the situation to sink in.

“I didn’t realise how lucky I was until I left the [Dubai] airport and got into a cab,” she said. “The taxi driver asked whether I had just come from Istanbul, and I answered ‘yes’. She then asked me: ‘Do you have any idea how lucky you are?’.

“In such cases you find it very difficult to believe that you were so close to something [so dangerous]. You don’t really believe it until you see it on TV. You never think it’s something that can happen to you.”

Attackers began spraying bullets at the international terminal entrance before blowing themselves up at about 10pm (11pm UAE time) on Tuesday night, Turkish authorities said.

It is the deadliest of four attacks to rock Turkey’s biggest city this year, with two others blamed on ISIL and another claimed by a militant Kurdish group.

Though there was no immediate claim of responsibility for Tuesday’s carnage, “the evidence points to Daesh”, prime minister Binali Yildirim said at the scene.

Sohail Ashraf, of Blue Wings Tourism and Travels, said Istanbul was a very popular destination for UAE residents.

“We had just one person, who was travelling with his family, cancel his trip to Turkey.”