Etihad is suspending all online sales for flights before June 16.
The Abu Dhabi airline has closed bookings on flights departing in May and the first two weeks of June. It is now only accepting new bookings for flights scheduled to fly from June 16.
This, however, remains subject to change, should current flight suspensions be extended.
The national airline of the UAE recently announced that it was planning to resume flights from May 16. But again, this was reliant on flight suspensions being lifted by UAE authorities.
Until today, travellers could book flights on Etihad’s website for travel in the last two weeks of May to several destinations. These included India, the UK, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the US.
No official updates have come from the UAE government regarding the easing of travel restrictions, and Etihad has now taken the decision to suspend flight sales for travel before June 16.
"To minimise any potential disruption or discomfort to customers, only flexible and refundable fares will be offered after April 29, 2020, for travel between June 16 and August 31, 2020," an Etihad spokesperson told The National.
“The network is under continuous review, and Etihad is monitoring the situation and following UAE and international government and regulatory authority directives.”
Travellers who had booked flights with Etihad for travel in May can rebook flights for another date or request Etihad credit or a refund.
Etihad continues to operate special repatriation flights from Abu Dhabi to several destinations. Several of these flights are now scheduled to run until the end of May.
Dublin and New York are the latest places to be added to the repatriation flight schedule. A flight will take Irish nationals in the country to Dublin on Friday, May 1. For US citizens hoping to return to New York, Eithad will operate a flight on Monday, May 4.
Etihad is also operating cargo flights and repatriating Emirati citizens from overseas.
UAE nationals wishing to return home should contact their local embassy or consulate.
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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
