• Emirates is calling out social media platforms for not acting quicker to remove a video showing a fake plane crash.
• A video depicting a fake Emirates jet crash in Abu Dhabi has been circulating.
• "We urge all audiences to always check and refer to official sources," Emirates said.

Emirates has called out social media platforms for not acting quicker to remove a video showing a fake plane crash.

The video, which appears to be computer-generated, shows a fake Emirates plane crash in Abu Dhabi.

In a statement posted on X, Emirates said: "We are aware of a video circulating on social media depicting an Emirates plane crash. Emirates confirms it is fabricated content and untrue."

The airline said it was in contact with "various social media platforms" in an effort to get the video taken down or "make clear that it is digitally created footage to avoid false and alarming information from circulating."

"Unfortunately the platforms' responses to such content review requests are not quick enough, therefore necessitating this statement," it continued.

Emirates also urged people to check and refer to official sources.

The video was still available to view on some platforms at the time of writing.

Business Insider has contacted Emirates for comment.

It comes as the airline announced its first Airbus A350 aircraft had officially entered commercial service, operating a flight from Dubai to Edinburgh.

Adnan Kazim, the airline's deputy president and chief commercial officer, said the flight marked a "pivotal" moment for the company and that it underscored "the strategic importance of the UK within our global network."

The aircraft is the first of 65 A350s Emirates has ordered from Airbus.

• Emirates wants to hire airline pilots from the US to fly its widebody jets from Dubai.
• The pay and benefits are good, but Emirates pilots must be ready for mostly long-haul flying.
• Emirates pilots can get unique perks like company-provided housing and chauffeur transfers to work.

It can be difficult for US airline pilots to jump into a foreign flight deck, but Emirates has programs to entice potential hires to make the leap.

Flying for the UAE-based carrier has significant differences compared to US counterparts, including a unique scheduling system and other benefits.

But the work-life balance, pay, and benefits are nothing to balk at.

In an interview, six-year Emirates Boeing 777 pilot Richard Vellinga explained how pay, benefits, visas, and training at the state-owned carrier.

High pay and company-provided housing

Vellinga said new first officers can make between $7,000 and $9,000 per month, tax-free, based on experience.

Captains make between $11,000 and $13,000 a month. On the lower end, those paychecks equal a minimum of $84,000 for first officers and $132,000 for captains annually.

First officers and captains can earn more money as they gain more years of flight experience. Pay is the same regardless of aircraft type.

For every "block" hour above their monthly minimum flying target, they earn about $145 and $200, respectively. A block hour is the time between when an aircraft leaves the departure gate and arrives at the destination gate.

For example, if an Emirates captain hits their minimum and picks up an eight-hour block trip, that will equal around $1,600 in extra pay.

Emirates also offers other allowances to complement pilot basic salaries, including profit-sharing, company-provided housing allowance, flight benefits, education allowance for dependents, and medical coverage.

"We also enjoy chauffeur-driven transport to and from work, and laundry services," Vellinga said.

Pilot salaries are calculated differently than at US airlines

In the US, pilot pay is dependent on aircraft type.

The lowest-paid first officers of narrow-body planes at Delta, United, and American make about $111,000 a year, while the highest-paid widebody captains make more than $400,000 a year.

Similar to Emirates, US pilots can make more from additional monthly flying and any potential profit-sharing — with many making over half a million annually.

US pilots typically don't receive housing benefits or car service from their homes to work.

Emirates mostly flies long-haul

Vellinga said Emirates pilot schedules differ from the US. He is on a "reserve" period every 10 months — meaning he doesn't know his trips ahead of time.

Otherwise, he holds a "line", meaning he has preplanned flights. He said the schedule is based on rotating seniority, so lower-year pilots can get their preferred schedule during certain months.

In the US, new pilots have to work their way up the ladder to earn enough seniority to get the trips and time off they want. Some are on reserve for years before they hold a line.

Vellinga said the long-haul flying at Emirates, which can range from one to five days of consecutive flying, can be difficult given the time changes.

"Work-life balance can be atypical given frequent time-zone changes and being away from family," Vellinga said, adding Emirates pilots need to be flexible and adaptable, but he prefers ultra-long-haul flying.

He said the company offers 42 days of leave a year, with at least eight days off a month. The latter is not uncommon in the US. Vellinga said he spends his time off with family and enjoys the expat community and sporting events in Dubai.

Vellinga said he also uses his flight benefits, which include access to free or discounted flight tickets for pilots and their friends and family. When available, their family can access business or first class.

"Our most recent vacation with benefits was to Tenerife in the Canary Islands," he said. "We spent a week exploring the islands and had a wonderful time."

Training and qualifications

Emirates training will be similarly long and vigorous to what US airline pilots experience, but Emirates pilots are trained according to the standards of the UAE's aviation authority rather than the Federal Aviation Administration.

Vellinga said new-hire training takes between three and four months, including ground and simulator work. Line training, meaning operating actual flights, takes another six weeks.

"I started training in the first week of August [2018] and had my first flight by mid-November," he said, adding Emirates took care of his visas and licenses to fly in the UAE.

First officers and captains must have specific minimum flight hours to be hired, and making it into an Emirates cockpit is dependent on passing training checks.

Direct-entry captains — or those who are already captains in the US and want to captain an Emirates plane — need at least 7,000 multi-crew flying hours, with nearly half of that on widebody planes like the Airbus A330 or Airbus A350.

Reaching 7,000 hours for a US airline pilot can take a decade or more.

Pilots without captain experience or enough hours of experience can be hired at Emirates as long as they meet minimum hourly flight requirements and have operated heavy enough aircraft.

Vellinga said captains flying narrow-body planes like the Airbus A320 or the Boeing 737 with 6,000 total hours and 2,000 in command can be hired as first officers at Emirates. They can become a captain after about a year and a half.

Otherwise, pilots upgrading from a first officer to a captain takes between two and four years, depending on how quickly a pilot earns enough qualifying hours.

• After months of waiting, Emirates unveiled its first of 65 Airbus A350-900 aircraft on November 27.
• The jet has 312 seats across business, premium economy, and coach and will fly nine initial routes.
• Emirates president Tim Clark criticized Boeing at the delivery ceremony for continued 777X delays.

Emirates received a new jet type for the first time since 2008 with the arrival of its highly anticipated Airbus A350-900, but ill feelings about the plane's American rival were not absent from the milestone day.

Emirates revealed the 312-seat plane on November 27 at a delivery ceremony in Dubai. It features refreshed business and coach cabins including the airlines' popular premium economy.

The jet will complement the airline's other long-haul planes, like the Boeing 777 and the Airbus A380 double-decker, and should help Emirates further expand its global presence with new routes.

At the ceremony, Emirates president Tim Clark once again criticized Boeing for delays to the 777X. He said 85 of Boeing's new jet should be in the Emirates fleet by now.

"We are expansionists, as you know," he told the media, Reuters reported. "And we've had our wings clipped."

Boeing's new 777X widebody was expected to fly with Emirates years ago but is now not expected until at least 2026 amid ongoing production and design problems, Boeing's 737 Max quality control issues, and a now-ended seven-week labor strike.

Emirates has 205 of Boeing's new aircraft on order, holding 40% of the world's 503 total 777X orders. It's also the largest customer of the classic Boeing 777.

"I fail to see how Boeing can make any meaningful forecasts of delivery dates," he told Business Insider in October. "We will be having a serious conversation with them over the next couple of months."

Emirates' A350 was also delayed on time

Emirates expected to receive its first A350 in August after being delayed from 2023 and launch nine routes by the end of 2024. Those routes will now begin next year.

"We're a frustrated entity because we need airplanes, and we need them now," he said in November, according to Bloomberg.

The plane's inaugural flight was pushed four times from September and is now scheduled from Dubai to Edinburgh, Scotland, on January 3.

In addition to its first set of A350s, Emirates expects to receive a longer-ranged variant next summer. But instead of being the modified ultra-long-range A350-900ULR flown by Singapore Airlines, FlightGlobal reported it will sport fewer seats to travel up to 16 hours.

What to expect onboard Emirates' A350-900

Emirates A350-900 will sport 312 seats across three cabins: 32 in business, 21 in premium economy, and 259 in regular coach.

The longer-ranged variant will have 298 passenger seats instead of 312 across the same three cabins.

Business class resembles the seats on Emirates' Airbus A380 superjumbos and its newly refurbished 777, complete with a minibar and "improved" storage. The 1×2×1 configuration means every passenger will have direct aisle access.

The high-dollar cabin won't have the on-board bar or fancy showers present on Emirates mammoth A380s.

The A350 business cabin also won't have the flyer-favorite doors that other airlines have been actively adding to their long-haul planes, though Emirates said the seats are still "very private."

Emirates maintained its premium economy cabin for the A350 after installing the business-economy hybrid cabin on many of its A380 and 777s. Each seat in the 2×3×2 cabin includes a deep recline, leg and footrests, and 13.3-inch televisions.

The economy cabin has been redesigned with a new six-way adjustable headrest to increase passenger comfort.

It has a 3×3×3 layout and will sport electric window blinds, which are also present in business and premium economy.

Otherwise, flyers can expect the regular coach Emirates experience. This includes a wood-like tray table, a seatback pouch with extra pockets, generous legroom of up to 32 inches, hot meals, power ports, and an inflight screen.

• The United Arab Emirates experienced torrential rainfall and flash floods, beginning late Monday.
• Videos appear to show planes taxiing down flooded runways at Dubai International Airport. 
• Some blamed a practice to address water scarcity, but many meteorologists doubt that was the case.

Torrential rainfall pummeled the United Arab Emirates this week, resulting in flash floods that caused air travel chaos, closed schools, and deluged homes.

The rain began late Monday, flooding the UAE with more than half a foot (6.26 inches) of water in 24 hours, according to the Dubai Meteorological Office and cited by ABC News. That is more than two years' worth of rain in one day, the outlet noted.

There are claims that cloud seeding may have played a role in the flash floods. The practice sees planes inject clouds with chemicals that can increase rainfall. Scientists say it's unlikely cloud seeding caused the flooding, though.

One fatality was reported by police at the time of writing on Wednesday: A 70-year-old man died in Ras al-Khaimah when his vehicle was swept away in the flooding.

Flooding also occurred in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. In Oman, 19 people died in flash floods, according to local media.

Dubai International Airport — recently named the most luxurious airport in the world — said planes were diverted. Some services now appear to have restarted.

Unverified videos on social media appeared to show heavily flooded tarmac, with large passenger airplanes creating waves and taxiing through several feet of water.

The airport did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider about the videos.

"We advise you NOT to come to the airport, unless absolutely necessary," an airport spokesperson wrote on X on Wednesday.

They added that planes continue to be delayed and diverted.

An unnamed couple told the AP that the situation at the airport is "absolute carnage," with some passengers sleeping there or at the Metro station.

Dubai recieved more than 5.6 inches of rain by Tuesday evening, around the amount it typically gets in a year and a half, according to Sky News.

It marks its heaviest rainfall in 75 years, according to a WAM news agency cited by Sky News.

In a post shared on X, the UAE's National Centre of Meteorology showed the regions that have been most affected.

The UAE has been cloud seeding since the '90s

While images of extreme flooding can show the consequences of the climate crisis, this particular event may have been worsened by a direct attempt to play rainmaker — literally.

To address water scarcity in the typically dry country, the UAE started using a practice referred to as cloud seeding in the 90s and early 2000s.

Cloud seeding is a method designed to increase the amount of water that falls from a cloud. It involves identifying suitable clouds and then using aircraft or ground-based generators to introduce a chemical agent that facilitates the production of snowflakes.

Cloud seeding has been used in countries worldwide, including in western US states dealing with drought, like California, Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, and Texas.

The practice has long been controversial, with critics dismissing it as an attempt to "play God" or being potentially harmful to the environment or public health. Scientists have not documented the harmful impacts of cloud seeding, and recent studies have suggested that the practice works.

Ahmed Habib, a specialist meteorologist, told Bloomberg that the UAE's cloud seeding operations contributed directly to the heavy rainfall that fell this week.

Habib told the outlet that two planes conducted cloud seeding operations on Monday and Tuesday and that seven seeding missions had been carried out in two days.

Flight-tracking data analyzed by the AP suggested that an aircraft affiliated with the UAE's cloud-seeding project flew around the country Sunday.

"For any cloud that's suitable over the UAE you make the operation," Habib told Bloomberg.

The UAE's weather bureau said no cloud seeding had taken place during Tuesday's rain, according to the National News. It did not immediately respond to a request by BI for comment.

Chris England, a weather producer at Sky News, said he didn't believe cloud seeding to be a reason behind the floods, adding that evidence of it working was "pretty slim at best." Tomer Burg, an atmospheric-science researcher, told the Associated Press that days before the downpour, computer models forecast several inches of rain.

"When we talk about heavy rainfall, we need to talk about climate change. Focusing on cloud seeding is misleading," an Imperial College of London climate scientist, Friederike Otto, told the AP. "Rainfall is becoming much heavier around the world as the climate warms because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture."

Despite warning citizens to remain home during the heavy rain, the UAE government's press office said they were "rains of goodness," as the country has dealt with a rise in heat-related illnesses and deaths that some hope can be alleviated by an increase in rainfall.

Schools across the UAE continued to be closed on Wednesday, and employees are working from home, according to the Sky News report.

Correction: December 5, 2024 — This story was updated to better contextualize speculation linking cloud seeding to flooding in the UAE. Many scientists say it's unlikely cloud seeding had a role in the flooding.

• When I visited Dubai for the first time, there were some things I wish I had known beforehand.
• The weather during my stay was amazing, so I think the winter season is the best time to visit.
• The city is bigger than I expected so I'd recommend hiring a guide to see as much as possible.

I visited Dubai for the first time and loved my time there. However, there were a few things I wish I had known before I went on the trip.

Here are a few things I would've wanted to know before I went to Dubai.

Now I know the winter season is the best time to visit, mostly because of the pleasant weather.

Dubai has year-round sunshine, but I now know the best time to visit the city is during the winter, which, according to US News, spans from November to early March.

When I went in January 2022, the temperature ranged from 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit without any humidity. It was warm enough to enjoy touring and being out and about.

The temperature was also perfect when I stayed in the city and went to the desert. There was a slight breeze by the sea and marina, but nothing that required a jacket during the day. The sundresses and lightweight dresses I packed worked perfectly, but I advise bringing a jacket or long-sleeve shirt since it can get a bit chilly in the evening.

There are so many activities that you likely won't be able to do them all.

I didn't realize just how big Dubai was until I visited. There is an endless amount of activities, so I would suggest trying to identify your priorities before landing in the city.

Based on my experience, I recommend visiting the Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world), going on the Ain Dubai, wandering the souks, and strolling along the Jumeirah Beach Residence Walk.

At night, it's worth snagging tickets to see the La Perle show and walking around the Dubai Mall to see the fountain show and lights around the Burj Khalifa.

Dubai is filled with record-breaking attractions but also tons of history and culture.

Though the world's tallest building and highest observation wheel were worth seeing, don't skip the historical part of the city. Visiting Al Seef, the souks, and taking an abra (a boat) across the river were definitely highlights of the trip.

Parts of the city are extremely innovative and new, but older areas showcase its history and culture. Seeing both allowed me to appreciate how the city has evolved over time.

Abu Dhabi is definitely worth a day trip and is only about an hour and a half away.

Though I originally planned on visiting only one of the seven emirates, the emirate of Dubai, my friends told me I had to incorporate a day trip to Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates and is located in the eponymous emirate. We hired a tour guide to take us on the hour-and-a-half drive to Abu Dhabi and around the main sites.

Dubai isn't the only city with gorgeous sites and history — there are incredible places to visit nearby.

In Abu Dhabi, we visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Qasr Al Watan (a working Presidential palace), and Heritage Village.

I loved the emirate so much that I'd love to go back just to see more of it.

In addition to offering traditional Middle-Eastern food, Dubai seemed to have every other cuisine imaginable.

I'm allergic to sesame, so I was worried about what I'd eat on this trip since Middle-Eastern food and Emirati cuisine often use this ingredient.

However, Dubai had every cuisine I could imagine. Everything from Italian food to Chinese options was available, so my choices were not limited.

Though everything we tried was delicious, the food could be pricey.

 

Palm Jumeirah and Dubai International Financial Centre are closer to the main attractions than some other popular areas where visitors stay.

Since Dubai is such a large city, I think it's best to stay close to its attractions. I selected the Four Seasons Hotel Dubai International Financial Centre because it was only a two-minute drive (or a 20-minute walk) to the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall and close to restaurants and shops.

Since it was in the center of the city, grabbing taxis and finding transportation was easy.

Many visitors also opt to stay in Palm Jumeirah, which has waterfront hotels with larger properties and private beaches. It's still close to the city but has some privacy.

Hiring a tour guide ended up being the best decision I made on my trip — and it was quite affordable.

I hired tour guides to maximize my time in Dubai, which was one of the best decisions I made. 

We hired guides to take us around the city on our first day, as well as on our day trip to Abu Dhabi, the desert, and a nightlife tour. We made the most of our time in the city and we saw a ton.

We booked most of the guides through the hotel or by recommendations from friends and family who had visited. Each guide was relatively affordable and was accompanied by a driver.

You must bring appropriate attire for mosques and other holy sites.

The holy sites we visited had a dress code. Men should wear a shirt with sleeves that are at least elbow length with long trousers. In mosques, women need to wear an abaya and shayla, which covers their body and hair.

You can purchase an abaya and shayla at many tourist sites or borrow them ahead of entry. I didn't realize the mosques had a dress code, but I would have planned my outfit beforehand if I had.

Don't let your worries about sand and heat cause you to pass up a trip to the desert.

I typically stay away from deserts, but dune bashing — driving at varying speeds over sand dunes — in Dubai was one of my favorite activities on the trip. It was almost like riding a roller coaster on the sand and we got to see a beautiful sunset before heading back to the city. 

Don't miss dune bashing if you take a trip to the emirate.

 

Souks are some of the best places to buy souvenirs or spices.

You can grab souvenirs from just about any attraction in Dubai, but I think you'll get the best prices and selection at the souks, or marketplaces.

Dubai has a multitude of open-air souks, ranging from one for gold to a market for spices, and they each sell a wide variety of items. I purchased spices, jewelry, and souvenirs from different souks and strongly believe they're worth checking out.

This story was originally published on September 12, 2022, and most recently updated on November 20, 2024.