An Emirates flight from San Francisco to Dubai, due to depart on Friday, September 19, 2025, was delayed by over three hours after panic erupted on board as the flight was preparing to depart. The flight, Emirates EK226, was being operated by an Airbus A380 with registration A6-EVP, which was due to depart at 17:05 local time. Once the unconfirmed details of the Trump administration’s new H-1B visa requirements started to circulate among those on board, chaos swept around the cabin. Eventually, to try to calm the situation, the captain of flight EK226 made an announcement over the aircraft’s PA to address the panic –“Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking. Should this be the case, then the move almost certainly spells the end of the H-1B entry visa process as it currently stands.