By: Economy Middle east

Emirates and Etihad Airways announced on Wednesday the suspension of all scheduled commercial flights due to airspace closures across the region.

In a statement, Emirates announced that all scheduled flights to and from Dubai remain suspended until 23:59 UAE time on March 7, due to airspace closures across the region.

“Emirates continues to operate a limited flight schedule. We are accommodating customers with earlier bookings as a priority on these limited flights. Customers transiting in Dubai will only be accepted for travel if their connecting flight is operating. Please do not go to the airport unless you have been notified directly by Emirates or hold a confirmed booking for these flights. Emirates continues to monitor the situation, and we will develop our operational schedule accordingly,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, Etihad Airways announced that all scheduled commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi remain suspended until 06:00 UAE time on Friday, March 6.

In coordination with UAE authorities and subject to strict operational and safety approvals, a limited number of repositioning, cargo and repatriation flights are operating. Select services are also available for sale on etihad.com for travel on March 4 and 5, where approvals have been confirmed.

“Guests should not travel to the airport unless they have purchased or been issued a confirmed booking within the last 24 hours. Access to the airport will be restricted for those without confirmed travel documentation,” the airline added.

On Tuesday, Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, announced that the UAE is set to operate over 80 flights per day, with a capacity to transport more than 27,000 passengers.

Flights have already been operated to repatriate passengers affected by the current circumstances through the country’s airports in successive phases. In the first phase, which spanned March 1 to 3, the UAE facilitated the movement of 17,498 passengers on 60 flights operated by national carriers.