Fog Forces Abu Dhabi Flight Diversions

All flights into Abu Dhabi this morning are being diverted to other airports in the region due to what has been described as “a technical failure at the airport”.

Dense fog is currently being reported in the Abu Dhabi area and operations will not resume until the weather has cleared. Flights have been diverted to Dubai World Central, Muscat, Bahrain, Doha, Al Ain, Dammam and Abu Dhabi Al Bateen Executive airports.

Etihad is anticipating “significant delays to departures for the rest of the day” and is working closely with Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) to resolve the situation. ADAC said it is working to fix the problem as soon as possible.

Abu Dhabi International Airport has had problems with fog before, experiencing disruption in January 2012. Relocating flights will be challenging for air traffic controllers – already dealing with one of the world’s buisest airspaces – who must make assessments based on the nearest available airport and slot availabilities.

At Dubai International, low visibility due to fog caused some delays while eight incoming flights were diverted to neighbouring airports and one flight was cancelled.

Etihad passengers are advised to contact the Etihad Airways Contact Centre on +9712 599 0000 or visit etihad.com for more flight status information.