Khaleej Times, Wednesday, Jul 13, 2022 | Zul Hijjah 14, 1443
Flights between London and Abu Dhabi to continue as normal: Etihad
Emirates: Flights between London and Abu Dhabi
are continuing to operate as scheduled, a spokesperson for Etihad airways has
said.
This came after London's Heathrow Airport capped the number of departing
passengers at 100,000 a day this summer as it struggles to cope with a surge in
travel. It has told airlines to stop selling tickets over the next two months in
the face of baggage delays and lengthy queues.
In a statement to Khaleej Times, the Abu Dhabi-based Etihad said it is aware of
the temporary capacity limits at Heathrow Airport and "is working with the
airport authorities and the slot coordinator to understand how they will be
applied".
"In the event that there is any impact, it will be communicated in due course,"
the spokesperson added.
Some UAE residents have reported chaos at the airport over the recent past.
Dubai resident Paul Winick said his parents faced some issues when they
travelled to New York from Heathrow last week. “The usual method of checking in
luggage was not working due to staff shortages,” he said. “So after checking in,
they had to leave their luggage in a pile. They were worried that it would not
arrive with them but they were lucky and did not face any issues. I have also
heard from a friend’s wife who travelled from Dubai that she had to wait 2.5
hours for her luggage to arrive.”
Meanwhile, travel agencies said they have not received any information of
flights from the UAE being cancelled, delayed or re-routed. Several of them have
adopted a wait-and-watch approach to the developments.