Three British people and a South African were killed Thursday in a plane crash close to Dubai airport.
The UK-registered Diamond Aircraft went down 5km south of the international hub, state news agency WAM said, citing civil aviation authorities.
“The four-seat plane crashed while on a mission to calibrate terrestrial navigation systems at the airport, with all crew members, three British, and one South African, killed,” the news agency said.
An earlier report by the emirate’s government media office said the pilot and co-pilot of a small plane had been killed.
The aircraft, operated by a third party engaged by US tech giant Honeywell, crashed due to a technical malfunction, it said.
It added that all operations at the airport were running smoothly after “a slight delay and diversion of some flights as a precautionary measure”.
A Honeywell spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened by today’s plane crash in Dubai, and our heartfelt condolences are with the victims’ families. We are waiting for more details.”
Dubai’s international airport is one of the world’s busiest aviation hubs.
One runway at the airport is currently closed for upgrade work, with Emirates reducing the number of flights it operates by nearly a third for 45 days.
The southern runway closed on April 16 and is scheduled to reopen on May 30.
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