Flight schedules at UAE airports were disrupted on Sunday, September 27, with around 46 flights from various destinations delayed or cancelled. A significant number of the delays affected inbound flights from Eastern Europe, Central Asia and South Asia.

Cancelled services included a flydubai flight from Catania, an Emirates flight from Christchurch, an Air India Express flight from Kochi and a SpiceJet flight from Mumbai. Dubai International Airport’s flight information also showed several cancellations and delays involving these airlines.

One of the most severe disruptions involved Etihad Airways flight EY858 from Sochi to Abu Dhabi, which was delayed by more than 18 hours. Etihad said the delay followed the closure of Sochi airport in Russia.

Several flydubai flights from cities including Moscow, St Petersburg, Minsk, Astana, Almaty, Ashgabat, Tbilisi and Baku were also delayed by between about 40 minutes and more than three hours. An Emirates flight from Manila was among the other notable disruptions, with a delay of more than six hours.

At Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, several services operated by Etihad and Air Arabia Abu Dhabi from destinations including Lahore, Islamabad, Ahmedabad, Kochi and Chennai were also delayed.

However, no single reason was given for all the delays, with the disruptions linked to different routes and operational conditions.

Airlines and airports advised passengers to check the latest status of their flights directly with their airline or through the airport’s flight information system before travelling to the airport.