Nepal quake aftershock causes disruption to UAE flights

Aftershocks from Saturday’s deadly earthquake in Kathmandu continued to cause disruptions in flight operations between the UAE and Nepal on Sunday.

ABU DHABI // Aftershocks following Saturday’s deadly earthquake in Kathmandu continued to cause disruption to flights on Sunday.

After earlier announcing a return to its normal flight schedule, Jet Airways, which partners with Etihad Airways in servicing Nepal, said on Sunday afternoon fresh tremors in Nepal and Northern India forced the airline to temporarily cancel all of its flights in and out of the capital.

Hours later, it announced through Twitter that it had resumed all operations, including two daily services to Kathmandu.

“Etihad Airways continues to closely monitor the effects of the earthquake in Nepal. Following a further severe aftershock (Sunday) afternoon, the decision was made to return flight EY290 back to Abu Dhabi as a result of the related airport closure,” an Etihad Airways spokesperson said.

However, the airport is expected to reopen in time for another Etihad Airways flight, EY292A, which is currently enroute to Kathmandu and expected to land at 6.25pm local time.

“Etihad Airways is encouraging any passengers who do not need to urgently travel to Kathmandu to rebook on an alternate date or seek a refund for their tickets. All passengers booked to travel to Kathmandu during the coming days are being notified of this option,” the spokesperson said.

“Passenger and crew safety remain our priority and our immediate thoughts are with the country and its people during a challenging time.”

A Fly Dubai spokesperson said aftershocks forced the airline to suspend its remaining flights out of the UAE on Sunday and Monday.

The airline’s passengers in the city are being dealt with on a priority basis, with those affected by cancellations to be given seats on the next available flights, the spokesperson said.

The situation in the country is being continually monitored, the spokesperson said.

Air Arabia is expected to operate three flights to Kathmandu on Sunday, with three flights returning to Sharjah.

An Emirates spokesperson said the earthquake had no effects on their operations to the region.