Abu Dhabi gets direct Aqaba flights with easier access to Petra and Wadi Rum

Aircraft delays plagued Dubai and Abu Dhabi's primary airports on Sunday, with over 170 flights affected and two Flydubai services between the two cities cancelled, according to FlightAware. As of 3:30pm UAE time, 122 flights were delayed at Dubai International Airport, while 51 faced delays at Zayed International Airport. The delays follow disruption earlier in the week, including a UK air-traffic control shutdown and separate technical and weather-related incidents affecting airlines.

Flydubai's FZ23 service from Dubai to Bahrain and FZ24 in the reverse direction were both cancelled, while passengers were advised to monitor their flight status and operational updates before arriving at the airports. Zayed International Airport saw 51 delays and no cancellations, with Etihad Airways flight EY654 from Kuwait experiencing a 25-minute delay and Etihad's EY334 from Abu Dhabi to Kochi delayed by 11 minutes due to technical issues.

Etihad Airlines also reported its own disruptions on Friday and Saturday, including a flight from Bengaluru to Abu Dhabi delayed and subsequently cancelled due to a technical issue, and another from Abu Dhabi to Kochi delayed due to a technical problem. On Friday, an Abu Dhabi-to-Atlanta flight was diverted to Charlotte due to adverse weather conditions, causing a delay for the return service.

Both Emirates and Etihad advised passengers to verify flight information directly with their airline and keep their contact details up to date before departing for the airport.