Dubai: Emirates airline has been forced to revise its flight schedule because of Iceland's volcanic ash cloud which threatens to cause chaos in the United Kingdom and Europe.
No other Gulf carrier has had to alter flight schedules due to the eruption of the Grimsvoetn volcano which is slowly covering the United Kingdom and European skies with ash.
Emirates said yesterday it was forced to divert its Glasgow-bound flight EK027 from Dubai to Manchester as a result of the volcanic ash.
"All other flights to the UK and Europe continue to operate as per the schedule. Emirates continues to monitor the situation closely, in addition to liaising with the relevant authorities regarding the movement of the volcanic ash cloud," an Emirates spokesperson said.
Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways said they were operating flights normally and faced no disruptions so far.
"None of our flights are affected, but we are monitoring developments closely," a Qatar Airways spokesperson told Gulf News. Etihad Airways flights to and from the UK and Europe yesterday were operating normally, a spokesperson said.
Schedule changes
Also, with no impact on their traffic between Dubai and the United Kingdom and Europe, some global carriers were forced to making changes to their flight schedules for the UK and Europe.
The UK's flagship carrier British Airways cancelled all flights between London and Scotland for part of the day yesterday.
"Following forecasts of significant volcanic ash in Scottish airspace, British Airways has decided as a precaution that it will not operate any flights between London and Scotland," BA's spokesperson told Gulf News yesterday.
He added that customers on any cancelled flights would be able to claim a full refund or rebook on alternative flights.
Cancelled
Lufthansa said it had to cancel its flights scheduled for yesterday from Frankfurt and Duesseldorf to Edinburgh in compliance with the ordinance issued by the Federal Ministry of Transport.
"Disruption to air services, particularly in north-western Europe, is expected due to the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano," the German carrier said in a statement.
Cathay Pacific also suffered some flight disruptions within the United Kingdom, the Hong Kong-based carrier said.
Plans not changed
UAE travellers with advance bookings to the UK and Europe have so far not changed their travel plans over ash cloud commotion, according to travel agents.
Mario Pinto, Al Futtaim Travels' Manager for Business Travel, told Gulf News: "Last year we faced major cancellations due to the Icelandic volcano. This year, so far, no cancellations have happened. We have called all our clients due to travel to the UK and Europe and advised them to be on alert."
Asim Arshad, CEO of Orient Travels, added: "Nobody is as worried this year as they were last year due to volcano eruptions. As of now, we have faced no cancellations."
