Etihad said they were operating extra flights on Friday to help clear the backlog of passengers affected by Thursday's runway closure during dense fog at Abu Dhabi International Airport.
The airline has also drafted hundreds of extra staff across its network to assist passengers whose travel plans were impacted due to the failure of the airport’s runway landing systems.
As of 10.32am on Friday, flights to destinations across the Middle East, Indian Sub-Continent and Western Europe have already departed as the flight schedule gradually returns to normal, the UAE flag-carrier said.
Passengers were advised to expect ongoing delays as a result of the large number of flights and passengers affected.
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi the airline provided accommodation for more than a thousand guests who have missed their onward connections.
Compensation
Over 30 flights were diverted to other airports in the region on Thursday due to a technical failure of the runway landing systems at the Abu Dhabi International Airport.
"Etihad Airways will provide compensation benefits which range from Etihad Guest miles to complimentary flights," the airline said in a statement.
"(The) circumstances were beyond our control. We are doing everything we can to minimise the disruption and apologise to all passengers who continue to be affected."
As of 4.14am on Friday, Etihad Airways advised passengers to expect delays as the flight schedule slowly returns to normal.
"It will take some time before the schedule is back to normal as a result of the large number of flights and passengers affected."
The runway glitch caused 37 flights to be diverted to other airports in the region while 42 flights were cancelled at the Abu Dhabi International Airport.
More than 1,000 affected
The airline said they are providing accommodation for more than a thousand guests who have missed their onward connections.
The airline had apologised to all passengers who were on board flights which had to divert to alternative airports across the region.
Of the 37 flights that were diverted, 14 of those landed at Al Ain Airport.
"This airport serves as a technical diversion airport only and has limited customs clearance or immigration facilities. As a result, transit passengers or those without visas for the UAE were unable to disembark."
The situation was further compounded by the limited catering facilities at the airport.
"As a result, we were not able to provide the level of care and service we would normally hope to deliver. We are doing everything to rectify this unfortunate situation and assisting passengers to minimise the inconvenience resulting from the disruption to their flights. Passengers are being assisted with onward connections or hotel accommodation in the case of long connections."
