The UAE is celebrating its 53rd National Day, also known as Eid Al Etihad, on December 2, which gives residents an occasion to reflects on the country’s journey of resilience, determination and success. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) has announced official paid holidays for December 2 and 3 (Monday and Tuesday) for all private sector employees in the UAE. Since the dates coincide with Saturday and Sunday, this gives UAE residents a chance to celebrate long weekend.

Why is UAE National Day celebrated?

According to local outlets, Eid Al Etihad commemorates the historic moment when in 1971 when the seven emirates came together to form a unified nation under the leadership of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

‘Spirit of the Union’ is the official theme of the UAE’s National Day celebrations. Several events are organised for the residents to celebrate the occasion.

Guidelines for UAE residents on National Day

Khaleej Times said that the UAE government has banned random marches or gatherings. It also carried a detailed list of guidelines to be followed:

• Adhere to all traffic regulations and follow instructions issued by police officers
• Refrain from using party sprays by drivers, passengers or pedestrians
• Ensure the vehicle’s front and rear license plates remain visible; do not alter the vehicle’s colour or darken/tint the front windows
• Do not place stickers, signs or logos of any kind on the vehicle unless they are specifically for Eid Al Etihad and comply with official guidelines and conditions
• Do not exceed the permitted number of passengers in a vehicle, and do not let anyone out through the windows or the sunroof of your car
• Avoid making unauthorised modifications to the vehicle or adding unlicensed features that cause noise or obstruct vision
• Do not obstruct traffic, block roads for emergency vehicles (ambulance, civil defence, police patrols), or perform stunts on internal or external roads
• Do not cover the vehicle’s side, front, or rear windows with stickers, and avoid using sunshades that block visibility

Things to do during UAE National Day celebrations

Celebrations in Dubai will be held for six days – from November 28 to December 3 – with shopping deals, acts by acrobats, musical performances, fireworks, and a range of culinary experiences.

The city of Sharjah has made entry to all public museums free on December 1 and 2.

The official celebrations will be held in Al Ain and attended by the country’s rulers and leaders.

New Delhi:

A report of hydraulic failure from a Tiruchirappalli-Sharjah Air India Express flight and its subsequent holding pattern for over two hours may have caused panic on the ground, but things were always under control inside the cockpit, senior sources from the airline have told NDTV. 

Flight AXB 613 took off from Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu at 5.40 pm on Friday and landed at the same airport around 8.15 pm. 

Here’s what happened in the interim:

The sources said that after the plane, a Boeing 737-800, was airborne, the landing gear was retracted normally. 

When the landing gear, or undercarriage, was stowed successfully, the cockpit master caution, which indicates a system malfunction, sounded. Sensors detected that oil had drained out of the hydraulic system which controls the undercarriage. 

The aircraft flew normally in all other respects, the sources said, adding that the 737-800 has redundancies built into the hydraulic system to deal with such situations. 

The pilots decided to return to the Tiruchirappalli airport and chose not to undertake an ‘overweight landing’ with full fuel on board. The aircraft maintained a holding pattern at a short distance from the city to ensure that the fuel was burnt off and the landing weight was acceptable for making a normal approach to the Tiruchirappalli airport. 

The undercarriage was manually deployed and locked into position at the first attempt, enabling the aircraft to make a normal landing. 

On the ground, meanwhile, preparations had been made for an emergency landing. Tiruchirappalli Airport Director Gopalakrishnan said that 20 ambulances and 18 fire engines were on standby. 

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu had also asked officials to remain on alert and the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was coordinating. 

‘Will Investigate Cause’

An Air India Express spokesperson said the cause of the snag would be investigated and the safety of passengers was their main concern. 

“We are aware of media reports related to an Air India Express flight operating on the Tiruchirappalli-Sharjah route. We would like to clarify that no emergency was declared by the operating crew. After reporting a technical snag, the aircraft circled multiple times in the designated area as an abundant precaution, to reduce fuel and weight considering the runway length, before making a safe precautionary landing,” the spokesperson said.

“The cause of the snag will be duly investigated. In the interim, an alternative aircraft is being arranged for the onward journey of our guests. We regret the inconvenience and reiterate our commitment to prioritising safety in every aspect of our operations,” the spokesperson added.