Abu Dhabi – Riyadh flight diverted amid poor weather in Saudi Arabia

Abu Dhabi: An Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi to Riyadh flight (EY551) on May 5 was diverted to Bahrain due to adverse weather conditions in Saudi Arabia.

Etihad, the national carrier of the UAE, announced to passengers the diversion of EY551 from Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport to Riyadh, King Khaled International Airport on Monday.

“We apologise for the disruption caused by this event, and our teams are doing their best to assist you with your travel arrangements,” the airline said, adding that the safety and comfort of passengers are the carrier’s number one priorities.

The region has been seeing unstable weather conditions since Friday last week.

The National Center for Meteorology in Saudi Arabia forecasted moderate to heavy rain accompanied by hail and dust-stirring winds in the Jazan, Aseer, Al-Baha, and Makkah regions. Light to moderate rain is also expected in Riyadh, Qassim, Hail, Eastern, Northern Borders, and Al-Jouf regions.

Meanwhile, Kuwait’s Directorate of Air Navigation said it had activated all necessary safety measures in response to Sunday night’s severe weather, which brought cumulus thunderclouds, powerful winds, and sharply reduced visibility, Director Dawood Al-Jarrah confirmed.

With visibility dropping below 300 metres, the aviation authority has said that two incoming flights from Assiut and Cairo were diverted to Dammam.

An IndiGo flight from Delhi was also rerouted. In contrast, another IndiGo flight from Ahmedabad landed safely at Kuwait International Airport at 11:41 pm. Despite the adverse conditions, a Kuwait Airways flight from Dubai managed to land at 11:06 pm.

An IndiGo flight from Delhi was also rerouted. In contrast, another IndiGo flight from Ahmedabad landed safely at Kuwait International Airport at 11:41 pm. Despite the adverse conditions, a Kuwait Airways flight from Dubai managed to land at 11:06 pm.

Acting Director of the Meteorological Department Dharar Al-Ali told KUNA that satellite imagery and radar detected a dust storm affecting most parts of the country. “Some automatic monitoring stations recorded winds over 70 km/hr, with gusts exceeding 100 km/hr, reducing visibility to less than 1,000 meters and even to zero in some areas,” he said.