After Dubai’s Emirates announced that it would suspend flights to a total of 111 cities out of 159 destinations it usually serves to curtail the spread of coronavirus, another UAE carrier is suspending all of its flights.

Etihad Airways will temporarily suspend all flights to, from, and via Abu Dhabi following a decision by the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority, and the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), to suspend all inbound, outbound, and transit passenger flights in the UAE. This decision has been made to limit the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus and to protect citizens, residents, and international travellers.

As a result, Etihad Airways will suspend all departures from Abu Dhabi International Airport immediately for an initial 14 days, subject to further directives by the relevant authorities. All Etihad Airways aircraft currently outside the UAE will continue to operate to Abu Dhabi as planned, with the final arrival on 25 March, carrying passengers permitted to enter the UAE under current government-imposed restrictions.

Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “These are unprecedented times and unprecedented decisions are being made by governments, authorities and companies, including Etihad, to contain the spread of the coronavirus and to help minimise its effects around the world.

“We stand with our loyal customers, who are having to endure disruption and inconvenience to their travel and their daily lives, and we dedicate all our efforts and resources to ensuring we do all we can to assist them with their travel planning during this challenging period.

“As the national airline, we stand in full support of the UAE government’s decision, and are confident that we’re well prepared to weather the commercial and operational impact this suspension will have on our services.”

Guests will be notified if their flight is cancelled. However, prior to proceeding to the airport, all guests should still check the status of their flights, using the Etihad Airways Flight Tracker.

Etihad Airways continues to follow the UAE and international government and regulatory authority directives and is applying a contingency plan to assist affected customers.