UAE airlines say flights unaffected despite US advisory over regional tension

Dubai - White House has ordered warships to the region to counter an alleged threat from Iran.

Flight operations from the UAE remain unaffected despite a warning from the US that commercial airliners flying over the wider Arabian Gulf faced a risk of being "misidentified" amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran. All four UAE-based airlines confirmed to Khaleej Times that their flights were operating normally.
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A spokesperson for Emirates said they were aware of the warning relayed by US diplomatic posts from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). "At this time, there are no changes to our flight operations. We are in close contact with the relevant authorities in the UAE and internationally and are monitoring the situation closely," said the Emirates spokesperson.
Etihad said they "continue to operate normally" but are closely monitoring the situation. "We coordinate closely with the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority and air navigation service providers globally," a spokesperson for the airline said.
An Air Arabia spokesperson also confirmed that all flights "remain as scheduled across its network".
flydubai said they followed "international approved flight paths". "We are aware of the (FAA) notice and we will continue to monitor the situation and comply with any directives issued by our regulator."
Concerns about a possible conflict have flared since the White House ordered warships and bombers to the region to counter an alleged, unexplained threat from Iran that has seen America order nonessential diplomatic staff out of Iraq.
President Donald Trump since has sought to soften his tone.
The order relayed on Saturday by US diplomats in the UAE and Kuwait came from an FAA Notice to Airmen published late on Thursday in the US, AP reported. It said that all commercial aircraft flying over the waters of Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman needed to be aware of "heightened military activities and increased political tension".
This presents "an increasing inadvertent risk to US civil aviation operations due to the potential for miscalculation or misidentification", the warning said. It also said aircraft could experience interference with its navigation instruments and communications jamming "with little to no warning."
The Arabian Gulf has become a major gateway for East-West travel in the aviation industry. The Dubai International Airport is the world's busiest for international travel.

• MENA