A total of 27 morning flights into and out of Abu Dhabi International Airport were sent into a spin on March 11 when the airport closed for more than seven hours as visibility plunged to less than one hundred metres.
Weather forecasters have assured UAE residents hazy mornings with only a slight chance of fog were likely in Dubai and the northern emirates, which escaped any fog yesterday.
However fog remained more likely for Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi inbound and outbound flights during the peak hour of midnight to 2am were not affected, but the airport was closed between 2.20am and 9.50am, according to an Abu Dhabi Airport Company (ADAC) spokesman.
The official said six flights were cancelled and ten delayed, while 11 were diverted mainly to Al Ain, Dubai and Sharjah airports.
Of the total flights affected, Etihad Airways spokesperson Thomas Clarke said seven inbound Etihad flights were diverted to Al Ain and two were re-directed to Muscat. These flights returned to Abu Dhabi when the airport reopened.
Five return flights, to Bahrain, Muscat, Dammam, New York and Johannesburg, were cancelled. Their passengers were given accommodation, put on other airline’s flights or the subsequent Etihad flight.
Six outbound flights experienced minor delays.
Meanwhile, 378 passengers waited at the airport for two flights, to Delhi and Bombay, and left in the afternoon with about a six-hour delay.
A flight to Kuala Lumpur, affected by a technical problem rather than fog, was delayed ten hours until departure just after midday yesterday.
“We have informed people regarding their delayed and cancelled flights and strived to avoid inconvenience to them,” Clarke said.
However Clarke said the airline had not noticed many passengers had been delayed or kept from their flights by yesterday’s accident on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway.
Dubai International Airport did not experience significant numbers of delayed passengers.
An Air Arabia shuttle bus from Abu Dhabi to Sharjah International Airport was delayed but only two passengers missed their flights and were booked onto the following flight, according to the airline’s public relations manager Housam Raydan.
‘Enumerating the causes of the fog, the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology in Abu Dhabi said, “Stable weather, light wind, high humidity level and light pressure formed the fog early morning.”
The met department cautioned motorists to take maximum care and avoid speeding while driving on Wednesday, as there was a weak chance of fog.
Dubai Meteorological Office duty forecaster Chris Worger said summer was on its way with temperatures expected to warm up to 32 or 33 degrees Celsius by Friday this week. Source
Weather forecasters have assured UAE residents hazy mornings with only a slight chance of fog were likely in Dubai and the northern emirates, which escaped any fog yesterday.
However fog remained more likely for Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi inbound and outbound flights during the peak hour of midnight to 2am were not affected, but the airport was closed between 2.20am and 9.50am, according to an Abu Dhabi Airport Company (ADAC) spokesman.
The official said six flights were cancelled and ten delayed, while 11 were diverted mainly to Al Ain, Dubai and Sharjah airports.
Of the total flights affected, Etihad Airways spokesperson Thomas Clarke said seven inbound Etihad flights were diverted to Al Ain and two were re-directed to Muscat. These flights returned to Abu Dhabi when the airport reopened.
Five return flights, to Bahrain, Muscat, Dammam, New York and Johannesburg, were cancelled. Their passengers were given accommodation, put on other airline’s flights or the subsequent Etihad flight.
Six outbound flights experienced minor delays.
Meanwhile, 378 passengers waited at the airport for two flights, to Delhi and Bombay, and left in the afternoon with about a six-hour delay.
A flight to Kuala Lumpur, affected by a technical problem rather than fog, was delayed ten hours until departure just after midday yesterday.
“We have informed people regarding their delayed and cancelled flights and strived to avoid inconvenience to them,” Clarke said.
However Clarke said the airline had not noticed many passengers had been delayed or kept from their flights by yesterday’s accident on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway.
Dubai International Airport did not experience significant numbers of delayed passengers.
An Air Arabia shuttle bus from Abu Dhabi to Sharjah International Airport was delayed but only two passengers missed their flights and were booked onto the following flight, according to the airline’s public relations manager Housam Raydan.
‘Enumerating the causes of the fog, the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology in Abu Dhabi said, “Stable weather, light wind, high humidity level and light pressure formed the fog early morning.”
The met department cautioned motorists to take maximum care and avoid speeding while driving on Wednesday, as there was a weak chance of fog.
Dubai Meteorological Office duty forecaster Chris Worger said summer was on its way with temperatures expected to warm up to 32 or 33 degrees Celsius by Friday this week. Source
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