UAE-US flights 'unaffected' amid thousands of cancellations over winter storm

Flights between the UAE and US are unaffected by the severe winter storm currently gripping several US southern states, prompting school closures and domestic flight disruptions.

Both UAE-based airlines Emirates and Etihad told Khaleej Times on Saturday they are not facing any significant delays in their operations.

Emirates recorded only one minor delay with its international flight to Dallas, “but there has been no major impact on (our) operations,” the spokesperson for the Dubai-based carrier reiterated.

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad also faced no issues. “We are operating as normal,” its spokesperson added.

International flights operate at fewer frequencies as compared to domestic flights; hence, there is less impact on their operations.

US domestic flights

More than 3,000 US domestic flights were cancelled on Friday and thousands more were reported hit by delays due to severe storm in the southern US, airlines and tracking website FlightAware reported.

Several southern US states have been covered by snow and more is expected over the weekend as the second major winter storm sweeps across the country. The US National Weather Service said the storm "is expected to bring between four to six inches of snow between Texas and the Carolinas, while some parts of Arkansas and Tennessee could see up to eight inches by Sunday."

More than 2,300 US flights were already cancelled on Monday, when the first major winter storm hit US early this week that left at least five people dead and the loss of electricity for thousands of residents.

Delta Airlines said a "worse-than-expected mix of winter weather" prompted the shutdown of all five runways at Atlanta International Airport for more than two hours.

"Delta cancelled approximately 1,100 flights across our network" Friday, the carrier said as it was "working to recover the airline heading into Saturday".

A Delta plane also had to abort take-off at Atlanta because of an engine problem.

More than 200 passengers and crew aboard the Boeing 757-300 had to exit via emergency slides, US media reported citing a company statement.

Dallas Fort Worth (Texas) and Charlotte Douglas (North Carolina) were also affected by the bad weather, with more than 1,200 flights cancelled across the two airports according to FlightAware.