UAE flight delays continue on second day of 2017

Dubai - At least nine flights to Kuwait, Muscat, Ha'il, Kabul Yanbu and Doha were cancelled on Monday.

Early morning fog continued to engulf the UAE on the second day of the New Year, again causing some flight delays and cancellations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports on Monday.
"The foggy weather conditions in Dubai have caused delays to flights and some cancellations," said in a statement sent by flydubai to Khaleej Times.
At least nine flights to Kuwait, Muscat, Ha'il, Kabul Yanbu and Doha by the Dubai budget carrier were cancelled on Monday.
"We are continuing to monitor the weather conditions in Dubai," a flydubai spokesperson said.   "If you are travelling from Dubai, please note that the journey time to the airport may take longer and please check the status of your flight before you set off for the airport."
"The safety of our passengers and crew remains our first priority as we continue to monitor the situation closely and follow the advice of the relevant authorities. Hopefully the weather is improving and we will return to normal operations ASAP," the spokesperson added.
Updates were regularly posted on flydubai official Facebook page and passengers were advised to contact their travel agent or the flydubai customer centre on (+971) 600 544 445 to rebook on the next available flight without additional cost while full refund will be given to those who do want to continue with their flight.
"We understand the frustrations of our affected passengers and sincerely apologise for the delay in getting them to where they need to be during this busy holiday season," flydubai posted on FB.
At the Abu Dhabi International Airport, flights to and from India and Egypt were also affected on Monday.
An Egypt Air flight from Cairo which was supposed to arrive at 4.35am, landed only by 1.20pm. Cargolux's 10.50am flight from Jeddah reached Abu Dhabi airport at 1.20pm.
Two 11.50am flights from Thiruvananthapuram - Etihad Airways and Jet Airways - landed by 1pm and three noon flights from Kochi - via Etihad Airways, jet Airways and Air Berlin - got delayed and reached at 1.50pm.
Air India Express 5.30am flight to New Delhi departed at 11.05am and Egypt Air's 5.35am Cairo flight left after 2.20pm.
The delays and rescheduling affected the timings of other flights too. Most afternoon flights got delayed by 30 minutes.
An Etihad spokesperson, however, told KT that there were no "significant delays in their flight operations on Monday."
An Emirates spokesperson also reported no significant flight delays. "Emirates encourages customers to check their flight online (www.emirates.com) for the latest information regarding their flights," an Emirates spokesperson said.
At 9am on Monday, Dubai Airports tweeted: "Flights at DXB (Dubai International Airport) are operating normally. Please check with your airline or visit ? www.dubaiairports.ae/ for up to date info."
Meanwhile, the National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology issued a warning of continuing fog formation across some western areas with decreased visibility.
Forecast on Tuesday and Wednesday was partly cloudy weather accompanied by light to moderate winds after the fog dissipates in the morning. The relative humidity is likely to increase during night over most internal and coastal areas, forming fog and mist.
- angel@khaleejtimes.com
(With reports from Ashwani Kumar)

• Dubai