Emirates Airlines is in hot water over its response to a delayed flight from Incheon to Dubai.

While the flight was delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, passengers for the flight complained that the company’s response was inefficient and unprofessional.

According to one passenger, the company did not make a public announcement explaining the situation, and the explanations provided at the airport not only varied from official to official but were “incomprehensible.”

The Emirates EK323 flight bound for Dubai was originally scheduled for 11:55 p.m. Saturday, but was delayed to 11 a.m. Sunday, and again to 8 p.m.

According to Lee Sang-jin, head of Emirates’ Korean operations, the Incheon-Dubai flight was delayed as the flight crew originally designated to the flight had to man an unscheduled flight to Beijing.

The unscheduled flight occurred because the Dubai-Beijing flight was redirected to Incheon after the plane failed to land at the Chinese capital due to bad weather, Lee said.

“The crew on the Dubai-Beijing flight was to then board the Incheon-Dubai flight, but as they had gone over the maximum flight-time the flight had to be delayed,” Lee said, referring to regulatory limits on working hours.

“We have been working through the night to arrange flights for those who were scheduled to transfer at Dubai,” Lee Sang-jin, head of Emirates’ Korean operations said.

By Choi He-suk  (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)