Emirates, Etihad flights hit by fresh ash clouds in UK

Dubai/Abu Dhabi: Emirates is experiencing disruption to its flights to the UK as volcanic ash clouds affect most of British airspace, an official spokesperson of the Dubai-based airline said late on Sunday night.

The statement came as Britain and the Netherlands shut or planned to close major airports because of volcanic ash from Iceland on Monday, threatening large-scale air traffic disruption in Europe at the start of the working week.

With Ireland’s Dublin airport already shut, Britain said it had closed London’s Heathrow airport, Europe's busiest, and Gatwick airport to the south of the capital from 1 am (0000 GMT) to 7 am (0600 GMT)

Earlier, British authorities shut down Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow airports on Sunday.

Emirates advised customers travelling to the UK and Europe to check the status of their flight on www.emirates.com, where information is updated every five minutes.

“Emirates is continuing to liaise with air traffic control (ATC) authorities across the UK and Europe to monitor the movement of the ash clouds. It is possible additional flights may be affected in the coming days,” the spokesperson said, adding: “The safety of our passengers and crew is of paramount importance and will not be compromised.”

The airlines’ one of the daily flights to London, EK001, left Dubai almost on schedule at 8.00am UAE time on Monday morning and was expected to arrive at Heathrow at 12.20pm local time, according to Emirates’ website.

Etihad airlines also issued a similar statement on their website, saying “several flights to and from Manchester and Dublin have been cancelled”. The airline urged passengers flying to or from Manchester or Dublin to contact Etihad before arriving at the airport or check their flight status at www.etihad.com before traveling.

EMIRATES AIRLINES CONTACT NUMBERS:

ETIHAD AIRLINES CONTACT NUMBERS:

·         Other locations call +971 25 990 900

AIRPORT INFORMATION

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Flight inquiry +971 4 224 5777

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+971 2 505 5555