Fog continues to cause flight disruptions
dubai — Many flights were delayed or cancelled in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah as thick fog engulfed the country on the fourth straight morning on Saturday. The fog is expected to continue into the New Year and for at least two more days after, according to an official from the National Centre of Metrology and Seismology (NCMS).
According to Wam, 21 flights were cancelled due to the heavy fog on Friday night. An Emirates Airline spokesperson said the fog affected the departures and takeoffs of several flights.
In a long statement posted on Facebook, flydubai said the unprecedented foggy weather conditions “we’ve been experiencing in Dubai since Wednesday morning are expected to continue over the next few days”.
“This heavy fog has caused reduced visibility, below 100 metres at some times of the day, which has had a significant effect on our operations at both Dubai International (DXB) and Al Maktoum International (DWC),” the statement read.
“With hundreds of flights being affected by cancellations, diversions to nearby airports and delays on the ground in Dubai and around the network, thousands of our passengers have faced and are continuing to face severe disruption to their travel plans.
“The safety of our passengers and crew remains our first priority as we continue to monitor the situation closely and follow the advice of the relevant authorities.
“We understand the frustrations of our affected passengers and sincerely apologise for the delay in getting them to where they need to be during this busy holiday season.
“Although the cause of the disruption is beyond our control, we are deploying all resources available to us to minimise the impact of these severe weather conditions on our schedules. Our teams, and the teams on the ground at airports here in Dubai and across the region, are working around the clock to assist all of those affected and to get operations back to normal as soon as possible,” flydubai said in the statement.
A spokesperson for Etihad Airways told Khaleej Times that none of their flights were diverted or cancelled due to the fog. “The airline efficiently operated all of its scheduled flights, although a number of departures experienced short delays. All connections were maintained.”
Airlines are preparing for another foggy day on New Year’s Day. Emirates Airline tweeted on Saturday: “Fog is expected at @DubaiAirports on 1 Jan, potentially impacting arrivals & departures.”
Indian nationals Ankush and Swati Agrawal’s flight from Nagpur to Sharjah got cancelled on December 31. She explained: “I received a SMS saying the flight has been cancelled around 6pm on December 30. We booked another flight from Indore for December 31 (Jet Airways) which got delayed by one hour due to fog”.