NITN | @notintownlive | 09 Mar 2020, 08:11 am

Khalifa City/NITN: Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has suspended temporarily all flights between Abu Dhabi and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in response to a directive from the General Authority for Civil Aviation, Saudi Arabia, to help prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
The airline operates up to 12 flights per day between Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia.
It has cancelled a total of seven flights today between Abu Dhabi and the Saudi cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Medina, and is now advising passengers who were booked to travel today.
Another four flights which were en-route to Saudi Arabia at the time of the directive were permitted to land.
When flights arrived in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, nationals of Saudi Arabi were permitted to disembark but all other passengers remained on the aircraft, which will return to Abu Dhabi.
The fourth flight operated to Medina to repatriate Umrah passengers.
In addition to the flight suspensions to and from the UAE, Saudi Arabia has also banned Saudi nationals and Saudi residents from travelling to countries including the UAE and on passengers travelling from or transiting through Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, Italy, Egypt and Korea.
- IndiGo brings Europe and the UK closer to India through KLM Agreement
- Etihad Airways and Azul Brazilian Airlines announce frequent flyer partnership
- Emirates to launch upgraded Boeing 777 to Madrid from September 16
- Air India to launch direct flights from Delhi to Philippines starting Oct 2025
- Air India, Icelandair codeshare deal boosts India-Europe connectivity
- Air India Express launches 'flash sale' on domestic and international till May 25
- Air India Express welcomes 100th aircraft, doubles fleet in just two years
- Tata Group-owned Air India Express welcomes 100th aircraft, doubles fleet in just two years
- IndiGo connects Bengaluru to Ayodhya with daily-direct flights
- Jazeera Airways offers 50% discount on flight tickets
IndiGo has expanded its codeshare agreement with KLM, the Netherlands’ national airline, providing its passengers with enhanced access to destinations across Europe and the United Kingdom through KLM’s network, the airline said.
Etihad Airways and Azul Brazilian Airlines have signed a frequent flyer partnership, allowing members of Etihad Guest and Azul Fidelidade programme to earn and redeem loyalty points across both airlines.
Emirates will deploy its newly refurbished Boeing 777 aircraft to and from Madrid starting from September 16, offering passengers a better travel experience with revamped interiors and premium features in all cabins.