Airport Fire Aftermath Leaves Perth Muso Stranded In Dubai

Heading to the UK for a run of shows, WA singer-songwriter Benny Mayhem, aka Ben Watson, was left stranded in Dubai after a plane crash at the city’s airport saw his aircraft divert to another landing location.

An Emirates flight reportedly skidded on the runaway and burst into flames as Mayhem’s Emirates plane was approaching the airport, forcing them to shift course and land elsewhere.

“We were diverted to DWC, which is a backup airport literally in the middle of the god forsaken desert, and we were told it would be an hour bus ride to Dubai,” Watson told theMusic.com.au.

“Long story short, we sat on the tarmac for six hours, then in a bus for four more, then finally we were dropped at DXB, and I'd estimate it took another two hours to get onward tickets.”

Although it took 22 hours from taking off in Perth to finally getting a hotel (provided by the airline), the Perth-based globetrotting folk punker said “it could have been much worse”.

“Tempers were pretty high, but kudos to the Cockney geeza and the Oz lass two rows in front who took the opportunity to swap numbers.”

CNN reports that 13 passengers on the Emirates flight that crashed suffered minor injuries, with a firefighter killed.