Emirates and Etihad resume limited services as missile fire forces a charter flight to turn back, with Dubai airport operating at a quarter of its normal capacity.
HONG KONG: Emirates and Etihad Airways resumed limited flight schedules from their UAE hubs on Friday. The fragile resumption came as a government-chartered Air France flight was forced to turn back on Thursday due to missile fire in the area.
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said the incident reflected regional instability and the complexity of repatriation operations. Britain’s first repatriation flight from Oman landed at London’s Stansted Airport early on Friday after rescheduling.
Etihad said it would operate a limited schedule through March 19 to around 70 destinations including London and New York. Dubai-based Emirates is operating a reduced schedule to 82 destinations until further notice.
READ MORE: Airspace closed, flights cancelled as US, Israel strike Iran
Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 said traffic at Dubai airport had almost doubled from Wednesday. It remained at only about 25% of normal levels, however.
The limited operations at Middle Eastern hubs have severely impacted travellers on Europe to Asia-Pacific routes. Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad normally fly about one-third of passengers from Europe to Asia.
Qatar’s Doha hub remains shut, though it is arranging relief flights from Oman and Saudi Arabia. Data from Cirium showed more than 25,000 flights have been cancelled in the Middle East since the conflict escalated.
Malaysia Airlines said it would add extra flights from Kuala Lumpur to London and Paris. SriLankan Airlines will operate an additional flight between Colombo and London on Sunday.
Higher oil prices have sent jet fuel costs soaring, with Singapore jet fuel reaching a record high this week. Fitch Ratings said airlines are likely to be affected by higher fuel prices alongside lost revenue.
In Asia, shares of several major carriers fell on Friday. Air New Zealand plunged 6.4%, while Cathay Pacific and Korean Air Lines also dropped.
Passengers described chaos in the scramble to leave the region. Some paid large sums to travel via Oman after their original flights were cancelled.
“We paid 1,500 pounds to get across to Muscat to get on the plane,” said Ed Short after arriving at London’s Heathrow Airport. He said he was hoping for a refund on 20,000 pounds spent on cancelled Emirates flights.
The Sun Malaysia
