flydubai cancels flights amid plane groundings
Move comes after UAE bans operations of Boeing 737 Max aircraft
Dubai: Budget carrier flydubai confirmed on Wednesday it will be cancelling upto 15 flights per day amid operational disruptions after the UAE grounded all Boeing 737 Max aircraft.
Flydubai, which operates around 11 Boeing 737 Max 8s, said earlier it will deploy its Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft instead to “minimise disruption to passengers.”
But the airline confirmed it has had to cancel some flights, saying in a statement that it is directly contacting passengers whose booking are affected. It did not clarify which destinations will be impacted.
“If you don’t hear from us, your flight will be operating to schedule by our Next Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft,” flydubai said. “Our teams are working hard to minimise disruption to your travel plans following the grounding of our Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft.”
The airline, based out of Dubai International Airport, said that passengers can check the status of their flights on its website. It is also providing regulator updates on Facebook.
The move comes after the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority on Tuesday night issued a ban against the operations of any Boeing 737 Max aircraft. The Authority said the ban is a “precautionary measure” following the fatal crash of an Ethiopian Airways plane of the same Boeing model.