Iceland volcano: Middle East airlines cancel all UK services

Iceland volcano: Middle East airlines cancel all UK services

Etihad and Emirates are among the carriers to have suspended services to European destinations due to the ash cloud.

April 17, 2010 5:28 by Ben Flanagan

Middle East airlines have suspended all services to the UK and other parts of Europe due to the spread of volcanic ash following the eruption in Iceland.

Routes to the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Norway, Switzerland and the Russian Federation have all been affected.

Emirates said that it had cancelled all flights between Dubai and the UK, and most to mainland Europe until Monday at the earliest.

Etihad said in a statement that all flights are cancelled “until further notice”. It added: “Etihad encourages passengers with travel plans to these destinations [are advised] to contact their local Etihad office or the airline’s dedicated customer assistance lines. Etihad Airways’ guests who are booked to travel on a cancelled flight during the affected period can rebook to a new travel date [subject to terms and conditions], or cancel their ticket and receive a full refund.”

Other regional airlines to have cancelled services include Royal Jordanian, Qatar Airways, Gulf Air and Oman Air. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said that airlines stand to lose at least $200 million a day in the disruption.