UAE airlines that fly to the UK have advised travellers to check websites following the closure of London Heathrow and London Gatwick airports due to the severe weather.
Emirates and Etihad flew to their European destinations on Saturday but British Airways was forced to cancel their flights from the UAE to London Heathrow and Gatwick due to the heavy snowfall that hit southeast of England yesterday.
Etihad did not cancel flights but two minor delays were reported for EY012 London-Abu Dhabi and EY042 Dublin-Abu Dhabi on Saturday morning due to de-icing requirements. “However, at this stage all other flights are operating as scheduled. Etihad Airways has not cancelled flights due to the severe weather that is currently affecting western Europe. Etihad continues to monitor the situation closely,” said a spokesperson.
There was a similar situation for Emirates: “Late Saturday, London Gatwick and Heathrow airports have closed due to extreme weather conditions. Emirates customers due to travel to or from the UK are advised to check the status of their flight on www.emirates.com for possible changes or delays, before departing for the airport. Flight information will be updated on the website every five minutes,” an Emirates spokesperson said. “Customers are advised to check the status of their flight on emirates.com for possible changes or delays. Flight information will be updated on the website every five minutes.”
Meanwhile British Airways cancelled all flights departing from London Heathrow and all European and domestic flights due to depart from Gatwick between 1000 and 1700 on Saturday. “The southeast of England has been hit by severe weather from Saturday morning. There has been significant snowfall at both Heathrow and Gatwick and both airports are currently shut.”
“We have taken this decision to try to give our customers as much notice as possible. Customers due to travel between these times should not travel to the airport. We are extremely sorry that customers may be inconvenienced. Our staff are doing everything they can to help,” the spokesperson said.