Travel on some flights from the UAE is being affected amid the ongoing situation in Ukraine.
Several flights from Dubai to Russia have been cancelled amid the country’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
Other services, including to the US and Sweden are also being affected because of the airspace closing in Ukraine and parts of Russia.
Dubai’s Emirates airline has rerouted several flights, including to Stockholm, Moscow, St Petersburg and some routes between Dubai and the US.
Travellers set to fly with the airline have been advised to expect longer journey times on some flights.
“Emirates has made minor rerouting changes to our Stockholm, Moscow, St Petersburg and to some of our US flights which are impacted by the closure of airspace over a portion of Russia and the whole of Ukraine, in line with the latest notifications issued by the authorities," an Emirates representative told The National.
“Flight times on these routes may be slightly longer as a result. We are closely monitoring developments of the situation, and should it be required we will take the necessary action. The safety of our passengers, employees and operations will always be our top priority.
The Dubai airline also confirmed that partner airlines flydubai and S7 Airlines have cancelled flights to cities in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.
From Abu Dhabi, Etihad has also rerouted some flights, the national airline of the UAE said on Thursday.
“Etihad continues to completely avoid Ukrainian airspace, and as a precautionary measure, has rerouted flights away from the border region to the east and north of Ukraine by a considerable distance. The safety and well-being of our guests is always Etihad’s highest priority," said a representative for the airline.
Flydubai cancels flights to Russia and Belarus
Low-cost airline flydubai has cancelled services from Dubai to Krasnodar and Rostov-on-Don in Russia, and to Minsk in Belarus.
Passengers set to fly with the airline on these routes in the coming days will be contacted by flydubai.
The budget carrier has cancelled all flights between Dubai and Krasnodar, in Russia’s south-west, until Monday, February 28. It has also cancelled flights to the Russian port city of Rostov-on-Don until the same date.
To Minsk in Belarus, flights are cancelled until at least Tuesday, March 8.
“We will be in touch with our passengers regarding their refund and rebooking options,” confirmed a flydubai representative.
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi and Air Arabia also fly to Russia. The National has contacted both airlines for an update on services.
UAE airlines cancel flights to Ukraine as airspace closes
The news comes after several UAE airlines cancelled flights to Ukraine on Thursday after the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Europe's second-largest country.
Ukrainian airspace closed to civilian flights on Thursday. Airspace over a section of Russia is also closed.
