Israel-Iran tensions: Etihad, Emirates and flydubai flights delayed, cancelled or rerouted
UAE airlines have delayed and cancelled flights on Friday following Israel's early morning attack on Iran. Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv has shut down until further notice, Iran has declared its airspace closed, and Iraq has temporarily suspended civilian operations at all its airports.
Etihad Airways, the UAE's national carrier, cancelled its services to and from Tel Aviv on Friday, as Israel placed its air defence systems on high alert in anticipation of possible retaliation.
The Etihad flights that stand cancelled on Friday are:
EY595: Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv
EY596: Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi
The Abu Dhabi airline is helping guests whose plans have been disrupted with alternative travel arrangements.
Other major airlines, including Emirates, Lufthansa and Air India, rerouted services mid-flight. An Emirates flight from Manchester was diverted to Istanbul, while an Air India flight from New York to Delhi was diverted to Sharjah.
In a statement to The National, Emirates said it had cancelled and rerouted some flights. The airline said it is 'monitoring the situation and making all efforts to ensure minimal disruption to customers, while assisting impacted passengers'.
The Emirates flights cancelled on Friday, to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran, are:
EK945/EK946: Dubai–Basra-Dubai
EK943/EK944: Dubai‑Baghdad–Dubai
EK903/EK904: Dubai–Amman‑Dubai
EK905/EK906: Dubai–Amman–Dubai
EK957/EK958: Dubai–Beirut–Dubai
EK953/EK954: Dubai–Beirut–Dubai
EK979/EK978: Dubai–Tehran–Dubai
EK980: Tehran‑Dubai
On Saturday, EK977 (Dubai to Tehran) and EK978 (Tehran to Dubai) stand cancelled.
Flydubai, too, confirmed several of its flights have been impacted due to the temporary closure of airspace over Iran and Israel in the early hours of Friday.
A statement released by the low-cost Dubai airline said: 'Flights to Amman, Beirut, Damascus, Iran and Israel have been suspended and a number of flights have been cancelled, rerouted or have returned to their destination of origin.
'We are monitoring the situation in the region closely and adjusting our flight schedule accordingly. The safety of our passengers and crew remains our top priority. We are in direct contact with passengers whose travel plans have been affected.'
Sharjah's Air Arabia has temporarily cancelled its flights to and from Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Russia, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kazakhstan.
Passengers are advised to ensure their contact details are up to date and to check their flight status on each airline's website and app.
Changes to regional flights
Qatar Airways has announced it has temporarily halted flights to Iran and Iraq.
The affected airports in Iran include:
Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA)
Mashhad International Airport (MHD)
Shiraz International Airport (SYZ)
The affected airports in Iraq include:
Baghdad International Airport (BGW)
Erbil International Airport (EBL)
Basra International Airport (BSR)
Sulaymaniyah International Airport (ISU)
Najaf International Airport (NJF)
Syrian Airlines suspended its flights to the UAE and Saudi Arabia on Friday due to the temporary closure of Jordanian and Iraqi airspace. The airline stated it is closely monitoring the situation and will announce updates regarding the resumption of flights as they become available.
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