DUBAI // The blizzards that have hit the east coast of the United States again caused havoc to passengers flying from the UAE on Tuesday.
New York, along with other cities along the coast, has already virtually shut down as authorities prepare for up to 76cm of snowfall.
A number of Emirates airline and Etihad Airways flights to Boston and New York were cancelled yesterday, with others delayed for up to 18 hours.
An Emirates spokeswoman said: We continue to monitor the situation and, at this time, we expect flights to New York and Boston to operate as scheduled tomorrow [Wednesday].” Flights to Washington have not been affected and remain on schedule, said Emirates.
An Etihad spokesman said that “the airline continues to monitor the weather conditions and has contingency plans in place should there be any disruption to its remaining flight schedule”.
“The airline has commenced assisting all affected passengers and advising them of itinerary changes.”
Weather forecasters say the snowstorm was expected to be one of the worst in history, with winds of up to 55mph and 76cm of snow in some areas.
It has already led to about 6,500 incoming and outgoing flights from airports along the east coast to be cancelled.
An emergency has been declared in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and New Jersey.
In New York, the subway system was closed and all non-emergency vehicles were banned from the roads.
Passengers are urged to check for updates on their flights at www.emirates.com and www.etihad.com.
nhanif@thenational.ae