Fresh ash cloud hits UAE flights to UK

Dubai: UAE's national airline Etihad Airways on Tuesday cancelled four flights to and from the United Kingdom after reports of new volcanic ash cloud spreading into airspace.

According to a statement from the Abu Dhabi-based airline, the cancelled flights are EY-45 (from Abu Dhabi to Dublin), EY-42 (from Dublin to Abu Dhabi), EY-15 (from Abu Dhabi to Manchester) and EY-16 (from Manchester to Abu Dhabi).

Dublin passengers will be booked on the next available flight to Dublin, it said.

Passengers, travelling to Manchester, will be booked on the next available flight to Manchester or will be offered a flight to London's Heathrow Airport, which continues to operate on schedule, it added.

Other subsequent flights into and out of Heathrow Airport are expected to operate, but with some delays due to congestion.

Advertisement

"We are monitoring the situation closely and are in regular contact with the European and UK authorities to understand the path of the cloud and potential impact on our operations," the statement said.

However, Emirates Airline did not report of any delayed or cancelled flights today.

Advertisement

The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), meanwhile, has said UAE air traffic movements grew by 10.6 per cent in April, despite the slump registered globally due to the volcanic disruption in Iceland.

Air traffic movements reached 52,300 in April 2010 in the country, compared with 47,300 thousand in the same month last year.

Advertisement

Average growth of UAE air traffic movements in the first four months this year was 11.5 per cent, with a total of 205,700 air traffic movements, compared with 184,700 thousand air traffic movements during the same period last year.