Mumbai rains: UAE flights disrupted
Emirates, Etihad resume normal service after flight diversions, delays on Friday
Dubai: Flights from the UAE to India’s Mumbai are resuming normal services on Saturday after experiencing delays and diversions on Friday night due to heavy rains, airlines said.
However, the return flight from Mumbai to Dubai continues to experience delay after it was rescheduled, Emirates said.
Emirates and Etihad confirmed to Gulf News that both the airlines’ Mumbai flights on Friday were diverted to Ahmedabad due to bad weather.
In a statement to Gulf News, an Emirates spokesperson said: “Emirates flight EK 508 from Dubai to Mumbai on July 26 was diverted to Ahmedabad due to adverse weather conditions. The flight landed uneventfully in Ahmedabad and continued its journey to Mumbai with a total delay of five hours and 10 minutes.”
“Subsequently, due to crew duty time limitations, Emirates flight EK 509 from Mumbai to Dubai was rescheduled for the following day (Saturday).”
The flight was rescheduled for about 22 hours later and Emirates accommodated affected passengers in hotels.
“The flight is now expected to depart Mumbai at 20:30 local time on July 27. Affected passengers have been accommodated in hotels overnight,” the spokesperson stated.
Apologising for any inconvenience caused, Emirates said the safety of its passengers and crew is of utmost importance.
A spokesperson from Etihad Airways also confirmed that flight EY204 from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai on Friday was diverted to Ahmedabad due to adverse weather conditions in Mumbai.
The flight continued to its destination once weather conditions improved.
The return flight from Mumbai to Abu Dhabi EY204 also reported a delay of three hours and 30 minutes.
“We regret any inconvenience caused. The safety and comfort of our guests and crew is our highest priority. For further information, please call the Etihad Airways Contact Centre on +971 600 555666, at etihad.com, or through our mobile app,” the spokesperson added.
However, the airlines confirmed that their flights from the UAE to Mumbai are operating normally on Saturday.
“Currently, there are no other disruptions to our operations,” Emirates said.
“No delays to report as of now, we are operating as normal,” Etihad spokesperson added.