Flights had to be diverted after Dubai airport was engulfed in water as record levels of rain fell on the Gulf state.

Inbound services were temporarily diverted on Tuesday evening, although departing flights continued to operate.

Full operations resumed after an interruption of about two hours. 

A weather advisory said: “Dubai Airports can confirm that due to the continued exceptional weather event currently being experienced in the UAE, Dubai International is temporarily diverting inbound flights due to arrive on Tuesday, 16 April until the inclement situation improves. Departures will continue to operate.

“The airport is working hard with its response teams and service partners to restore normal operations and minimise inconvenience to our customers.”

Passengers were urged to check directly with their airlines to obtain the latest information on the status of their flight and to allow “significant extra travel time” to the airport and use the metro where possible.

Emirates warned that its contact centres were “experiencing a large volume of interactions due to heavy rains in Dubai and you may experience long wait times before we can answer you”.

Online check-in for flights was also temporarily suspended as a year’s worth of rain fell in a single day.

The UAE’s National Centre of Meteorology issued a weather warning for large parts of the country on Tuesday morning, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.

At least 18 people were reportedly killed as flash floods struck neighbouring Oman, while vehicles were stranded in flooded roads in Bahrain.