Dubai airport reopens after plane accident

Dubai airport reopened after an accident involving the Biman Bangladesh Airlines aircraft after more than seven hours.

Aviation authorities reported that 27 people were slightly injured in the 6.30 a.m. accident which happened during takeoff. No details of the cause of the accident were available. Dubai civil aviation authorities are currently investigating.
The airport reopened at about 2 p.m., but the closure affected 71 flights, as Dubai airport is a major hub for transfers between Europe and Asia.Thirty-six outgoing flights were cancelled and 35 incoming flights were diverted to airports in neighbouring emirates or to Oman, Kuwait or Iran’s Shiraz airport.

Some passengers complained there was no information about their flights. The normally packed airport shopping area was deserted as passengers thronged information and transfer desks or were taken away on buses.
More than 28.7 million passengers and 1.4 million tonnes of freight passed through Dubai International Airport in 2006, according to its Web site.
Biman Airlines are flying to 21 destinations with a fleet of 13 aircraft, two of which are grounded awaiting repairs.