UAE airlines temporarily suspend flights to Ukraine; other carriers 'monitoring global airspace'

UAE airlines have temporarily suspended flights to Ukraine temporarily after Russia launched an attack on the East European country on Thursday morning.

Three local budget carriers flydubai, Air Arabia and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi temporarily suspended flights to Ukraine on Thursday, citing safety of the flights and passengers due to the military conflict.

"The provision of air traffic services to civilian users of the airspace of Ukraine is suspended," Ukrainian State Air Traffic Services Enterprise said on its website on Thursday after the Russian attack.

Flydubai said flights between Dubai and Ukraine have been temporarily suspended till March 8. “We will be in touch with our passengers regarding their refund and rebooking options.”

An Air Arabia spokesperson said: “Given the current situation and due to airspace closure, Air Arabia will temporarily suspend its flights between Sharjah and Ukraine until further notice. We regret the inconvenience caused to our customers. Affected passengers can contact Air Arabia’s call center or visit its website for more information.”

Moreover, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi also announced temporary suspension of all flights to Ukraine due to military conflict.

“Due to the current events in Ukraine and the airspace closure, Wizz Air regrets to inform our customers that the airline must temporarily suspend all flight operations in the country... The safety and security of our passengers and crew remain our number one priority and we hope normality will return to Ukraine soon," a Wizz Air Abu Dhabi spokesperson said in a statement.

The airline advised passengers with flights booked on arriving or departing Ukrainian flights can find more information on its website or alternatively via its call centre.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways said it avoids Ukrainian airspace and re-routing flights after the outbreak of the war.

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“Etihad continues to completely avoid Ukrainian airspace, and as a precautionary measure, has re-routed flights away from the border region to the east and north of Ukraine by a considerable distance. The safety and wellbeing of our guests is always Etihad’s highest priority,” said an Etihad spokesperson.

“As this is an evolving situation, we continue to vigilantly monitor and assess emerging airspace restrictions and threats. Etihad will update guests of any changes to itineraries and flight schedules over the coming days, as we continue to prioritise the safety of our guests and staff,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai