UAE flight delays, cancellations affect India-bound services

Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah airports reported delays and cancellations across multiple routes.

Abu Dhabi: Passengers travelling from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday, September 26, faced flight delays, cancellations and schedule changes at the country’s three major airports, with several India-bound services among those affected.

The disruptions were reported at Dubai International Airport, Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah International Airport. Emirates flights to Ahmedabad, Mumbai and New Delhi and SpiceJet’s Dubai-Amritsar service were among the India-bound flights with revised timings.

Emirates flight EK541 from Dubai to Ahmedabad was delayed from 11:10 am to 12:37 pm, while EK505 to Mumbai was moved from 11:45 am to 1 pm. EK511 to New Delhi was delayed from 1 pm to 2:17 pm. SpiceJet flight SG5155 to Amritsar was revised from 11:25 am to 2:02 pm.

Several other Dubai departures, including services to Moscow, Tashkent, Astana, Kathmandu and Bangkok, were also delayed.

Iran Airtour flight B9 9720 from Dubai to Tehran and Emirates flight EK902 to Amman were listed as cancelled. At Zayed International Airport, Pakistan International Airlines flight PK261 from Abu Dhabi to Islamabad was also cancelled.

Several flights from Abu Dhabi to India were delayed. Air Arabia Abu Dhabi and Etihad Airways services to Kochi, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram and Calicut were among those affected. Etihad flight EY331 to Kochi was delayed from 12:55 pm to 2:15 pm.

Air Arabia also reported cancellations and schedule changes on selected routes between the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain.

Dense fog reduced visibility at Zayed International Airport during the early hours of Saturday, with visibility recorded at about 400 metres at 5:36 am. Haze was also reported in Dubai. Available information did not confirm fog as the reason for the cancellations.

Several international airlines have also revised their UAE schedules. Air France, Singapore Airlines, KLM, ITA Airways, SWISS, Eurowings and Air Canada are among carriers that have announced changes affecting Dubai services.

Earlier, the UAE suspended flights operated by Iranian airlines to and from the country from Thursday, September 24, until further notice. The General Civil Aviation Authority announced the suspension amid restrictions affecting Iranian aviation.