GREY AREAS CAST DOUBTS ON HOLIDAY TRAVEL
▶ Travellers advised to check before going to airports after delays of up to six hours,
The dense fog that blanketed most of the country at the weekend is expected to return overnight, causing delays and cancellations at one of the busiest travelling times of the year.
The National Centre for Meteorology yesterday warned that it expected thick fog to develop over the coast, as well as rural and northern parts of the country, overnight and into this morning and tomorrow morning.
“There is a good chance of fog formation over the internal and coastal areas, especially over northern areas during the next two nights and early mornings,” a weather bureau meteorologist said.
“The horizontal visibility will decrease to less than 100 metres over some areas during the fog formation.”
The fog will be heaviest after midnight and before 10am, he said. “It is normal to have fog this time of year because there is more water vapour in the air, variable light winds and clear skies,” he said.
Abu Dhabi International Airport, Liwa, Madinat Zayed, Sweihan and the area around Al Maktoum International Airport had visibility of less than 50 metres yesterday, and could face the same conditions today and tomorrow, he said.
The reduced visibility forced flights to and from Abu Dhabi to be delayed or cancelled.
“Abu Dhabi International Airport is witnessing heavy fog this weekend, which is anticipated to continue to the early morning of Sunday,” an airport spokeswoman said. “Departures and arrivals may be affected. Abu Dhabi Airports would like to advise passengers to contact their airlines for an update on their flight’s schedule, or contact the airline customer service agents at the airport.”
An Etihad Airways spokesman said several of its flights were delayed or cancelled over the weekend. Those affected were given refreshments at the airport or hotel accommodation.
“As a consequence of the disruption, some return flights have also been cancelled or delayed,” the Etihad spokesman said. “Etihad Airways’ Guest Services team is working to rebook affected guests with onward connections.
“The airline continues to monitor the weather conditions in Abu Dhabi and has contingency plans in place should there be any further disruption to flight schedules.
“Etihad Airways regrets any inconvenience, which is beyond our control, and thanks guests for their understanding during this holiday period. The safety of our guests and crew remains our utmost priority.”
Travellers booked on flights to or from Abu Dhabi over the next few days are advised to check the status of their flights before going to the airport.
The flight-tracking app Flightradar24 showed that most departures from Abu Dhabi since Friday night and early yesterday morning were delayed by at least two hours.
Some, such as Etihad’s EY250 to Kozhikode, were as much as six hours late to depart.
Some travellers vented their frustration on social media about their delayed or cancelled flights.
Many of the complaints were greeted with a sympathetic reply from the official Etihad Airways account on Twitter.
“We have many guests who have been affected this morning,” it said. “We understand it’s frustrating. Please be assured that we are working as hard as we can to get as many guests out of Abu Dhabi as we possible. We kindly ask for your patience at this time. Thanks, Joe.”
In Dubai, three flights were diverted from Dubai World Central to the Dubai International Airport due to the thick fog.
A spokeswoman for Emirates said none of the airline’s flights was delayed or cancelled and that it was “business as usual” yesterday.
Despite the difficult conditions, police in Abu Dhabi and Dubai reported no major traffic accidents yesterday.