Safety probe under way after Emirates flight aborts take-off

Airline and aviation authority confirm review after pilots told to halt on runway

Emirates Boeing 777-300 planes at Dubai International Airport. Reuters

Emirates and the UAE's aviation regulator have launched a review after a passenger flight had to abort take-off at Dubai International Airport.

Pilots were told to halt flight EK524 to Hyderabad, India, as the Boeing 777 rolled down the runway on January 9.

FlightRadar24, a live flight tracking website, reported that EK568, from Dubai to Bangalore, was crossing the same runway at the time.

The Hyderabad flight was cleared to take off about 30 minutes later.

The General Civil Aviation Authority is conducting an air accident investigation, as is the airline.

“On 9 January, flight EK524 was instructed by air traffic control to reject take-off on departure from Dubai and this was completed successfully,” an Emirates spokeswoman said on Sunday.

“There was no aircraft damage, nor were there any injuries.

“Safety is always our top priority, and as with any incident we are conducting our own internal review. The incident is also under investigation by the UAE Air Accident Investigation Sector.”

The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority is mandated to investigate air accidents and incidents.

“The incident is under investigation by the UAE AAIS and we are unable to comment further,” a statement sent to local media read.

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