Lifestyle
Volcanic Ash in Indonesia and Regional Tensions Disrupt UAE Flight Schedules
UAE travellers experienced another day of disrupted air travel as volcanic ash from Indonesia's Mount Anak Krakatau combined with ongoing regional tensions to affect flight schedules at both Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport and Dubai International Airport.
Emirates reported delays and cancellations connected to the temporary closure of Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport due to volcanic ash. Flights EK356, EK357, EK358 and EK359 between Dubai and Jakarta were cancelled on September 6 and 7. The ash cloud also disrupted operations at Lampung's Radin Inten II airport. In total, the Jakarta airport closure affected 209 flights and 22,798 passengers.
Etihad Airways' Jakarta service was similarly affected, with flight EY472 from Abu Dhabi delayed, along with the return service EY473 scheduled for September 7. Several other Etihad flights from Zayed International Airport experienced delays, including those bound for Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Islamabad, Delhi, Peshawar, Bangkok, Nairobi and Kathmandu.
Meanwhile, Air Arabia cancelled flights G9068 and G9124 from Sharjah to Kuwait, along with G9107 from Sharjah to Bahrain. From Abu Dhabi, flight 3L020 to Kuwait was cancelled, while 3L015 to Bahrain had an updated departure time and 3L017 had yet to depart. Other Air Arabia services from Abu Dhabi also showed delays.
flydubai cancelled flight FZ029 from Dubai to Bahrain, though FZ023, FZ021 to Bahrain and FZ063 to Kuwait remained scheduled. The airline advised Dubai-departing passengers to arrive at least four hours before departure and complete online check-in where possible.
Etihad's Bahrain and Kuwait routes largely operated normally, with flight EY647 arriving from Bahrain and EY641, EY645 and EY653 proceeding as scheduled. Emirates flights EK837, EK839 and EK857 to Bahrain and Kuwait also operated or remained scheduled.
At Dubai International Airport, minor delays affected several early-morning flights, including Emirates services to Hanoi, Seoul, Taipei and Shanghai, Airblue's Dubai-Islamabad flight, and multiple SpiceJet services to Mumbai, New Delhi, Jaipur, Kozhikode and Kochi.
The disruptions come amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran after Tehran announced plans for an