Airlines operating at Dubai International (DXB) and Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International (AUH) reported a fresh wave of schedule disruptions on Sunday, 20 September, following Saturday’s temporary air-space restrictions linked to tensions in neighbouring Saudi Arabia. Data compiled by airport authorities and published by UAE News Today show more than 30 flights either cancelled or delayed by up to 18 hours. Flydubai cancelled multiple Bahrain services and logged delays on routes to Almaty, Moscow and Colombo, while Emirates pushed back departures to Kochi, Bangalore and Bangkok. Etihad Airways flights from Nairobi and Atlanta landed over an hour late in Abu Dhabi, and an EY858 rotation from Sochi arrived nearly 19 hours behind schedule. Although the majority of UAE point-to-point operations are running normally, carriers say regional air-traffic flow management measures and last-minute aircraft swaps are creating knock-on effects. Travel-management companies (TMCs) have been asked to monitor departure boards in real time and re-book affected executives onto alternative routings when possible. Corporate mobility managers are reminding staff to allow extra lay-over buffers—particularly for connections onward to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait—and to check airlines’ disruption-assistance policies. Under UAE consumer-protection rules, passengers delayed more than six hours are entitled to meals and, in some cases, accommodation.
Source: UAE News Today
