Coronavirus: Eerie photos of once-bustling Dubai Airport

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Dubai: The once-bustling Dubai International Airport wore a desolate look on Monday as the UAE prepared to suspend all flights in and out of the country from midnight to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Devoid of passengers, the world’s busiest transport looked like something out of the post-apocalyptic movie Contagion.

The parking lots were empty as were arrivals and departure terminals.

Vacant spaces at the parking lot at Terminal 1
Image Credit: Mazhar Farooqui, Gulf News

The parking lots wear a deserted look

Inside the hallways, the digital Flight Information Display (FIDI) systems appeared to have frozen in time with electronic screens showing nothing but a swell of cancellations. The airport’s main seating area was also empty. The majority of the shops and restaurants in the arrivals area were closed and the few ones that were still open didn’t have any customer. The scene at the departures were was no less despairing.

Flight Information Display system showing cancelled flights

On any other day one might have welcomed the quietude in the hope of a quick and smooth passage through immigration. Not today.

Waiting area outside the arrivals at Terminal 1, Dubai International Aiport

Dubai International Airport handled 86.4 million passengers in 2019, retaining its position as the world’s busiest hub for international passengers for the sixth consecutive year. But the scenes at the place suggest this year’s statistics will be different.