Dubai International Airport announced that normal operations had fully resumed from 2 PM on Monday onwards after the Mid-Eastern transport hub had shut down for over seven hours after an accident involving a Bangladeshi aircraft.

Aviation authorities revealed that following an accident during takeoff at 6.30 AM, 27 people had been slightly injured.

Although details surrounding accident were not divulged, reports emerged that the United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority and Dubai Department of Civil Aviation had launched an investigation.

"Flight BG 006 from Dubai to Dhaka, carrying 229 passengers and crew, suffered an accident during departure and failed to take off," a DCA statement said, adding that 71 flights had been affected by the shut-down.

Dubai, one of seven emirates comprising the United Arab Emirates, constitutes the Gulf's biggest trade and tourism center and its airport acts as a central stopping-off point on Eurasian flight routes.

Thirty-six outgoing flights were cancelled due to the incident with 35 incoming flights being diverted to other airports in the UAE, Oman, Kuwait or Iran, the statement said.
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"The closure of the runway ... was necessary to inspect its condition and ensure that operations could be resumed. We are now operating at full capacity but passengers should contact their respective airlines to confirm the status of their flights," DCA spokesman Huraiz Bin Huraiz said, as complaints were heard from passengers seeking information about their flights.

(China Daily via agencies March 13, 2007)

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