Dubai: Emirates announces flight cancellations to Pakistan, US destinations

Dubai's flagship carrier Emirates has cancelled a number of flights to Pakistan's Sialkot city and Chicago in the US because of bad weather.

Customers connecting to these two destinations will also not be accepted for travel at their point of origin, the airline said in a couple of advisories.

Among the cancelled flights is EK619, which was supposed to fly to Dubai from Sialkot tonight, December 23, at 8.30pm. Three other flights between the two cities were also affected over the last few days.

Flights EK235 and EK 236 to and from Chicago, which were also scheduled for December 23, were also cancelled.

A number of flights operated by other airlines to and from the Pakistani province of Punjab had been disrupted over the past few days.

On Friday, dense fog prompted carriers to either cancel or divert international flights due to poor visibility, according to local media reports.

In the US, snow, rain, ice, wind and frigid temperatures are wreaking havoc on air travel plans amid the Christmas rush.

Airlines cancelled just over 2,270 US flights by 6pm ET on Thursday, and proactively cancelled almost 1,000 flights for Friday as well, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware.

The impacts are being felt hardest in Chicago and Denver, where around a quarter of arrivals and departures — hundreds of flights at each airport — were cancelled on Thursday, FlightAware data shows.

"Affected customers who have booked with travel agents should contact them for alternative travel arrangements or a refund," Emirates said.

Customers who have booked directly with the airline may contact their local office for rebooking options, or visit the website to request a refund.

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