Etihad adds two flights for Egyptian exits

ABU DHABI // Etihad Airlines says it has put on additional flights from Egypt to accommodate those wishing to leave the country, as the UAE's Ambassador in Egypt requested all Emirati nationals in the country to head to Cairo Airport in order to arrange for their departure.

Etihad said an additional flight was scheduled yesterday afternoon and in the early hours of this morning.

An Etihad spokeswoman said: "Etihad Airways is monitoring the situation in Egypt very closely.

"At this stage, all scheduled flights to Cairo and Alexandria are operating as planned, however customers are advised to check the airline's website for the latest updates.

"Etihad is also working closely with the UAE authorities to provide supplementary flights as required. Interested passengers should contact the airline.”

Today’s confirmed additional Etihad flights are EY653A, which departed Abu Dhabi at 12.03pm local time and is estimated to arrive in Cairo at 2.20pm local time. The return flight, EY654A will depart Cairo at 3.00pm local time and arrive in Abu Dhabi at 8.30pm local time.

Two extra flights also operated yesterday.

Dubai carrier, Emirates, is operating as scheduled in Cairo. However, a spokesman for the airline said: “All passengers due to travel to or from Cairo in the next few days are advised to reconsider non-essential travel.

“We are monitoring the situation closely and aim to give customers as much notice as possible should there be any changes to our operations.”

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Budget operator FlyDubai has rearranged its schedule in response to the continuing unrest.

After the announcement of curfews in the country, flight FZ175 to Alexandria, which was due to leave yesterday evening, took off today at 7.30am.

As a result, flight FZ176 departed Alexandria at 10.45am and will arrive in Dubai at 4.25pm.

Furthermore, flight FZ183 from Dubai to Luxor left at 7am today and arrived at its destination 9.15am.
Today's return flight FZ184 left Luxor at 10am and was due to arrive in Dubai at 3.05pm.

The operators said other flights are running  to schedule. A FlyDubai spokesman said: “Passengers due to travel to or from Egypt today, Monday (January 31), or Tuesday (February 1), will be able to change their flights for any date, up to and including March 26, without penalty.”

All three carriers advised customers to check details of their flights on their respective websites for the latest information.

nhanif@thenational.ae