Etihad Airways 'resumes' operations amid Iran conflict

DUBAI: Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad Airways resumed some limited flight operations on Monday, the airline told Reuters, as global airlines including Middle East carriers adapt to the disruption caused by the escalating Iranian conflict since Saturday.

The Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran and Tehran’s military response forced the closure of airspace in various countries across the Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates, along with key airports including Dubai and Doha.

“Some repositioning, cargo and repatriation flights may operate in coordination with UAE authorities and subject to strict operational and safety approvals,” Etihad Airways said in a statement to Reuters, adding that all scheduled commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi remained cancelled.

The Etihad Airways’ website showed several flights had departed from Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport on Monday for destinations that included London, Paris, Moscow, and Amsterdam. It also showed more flights scheduled for Jeddah and Kochi, among others.

Etihad did not specify which flights were being used for repatriations of people stranded by the conflict.

The airline had said earlier in a travel note on its website that all its flights to and from Abu Dhabi were suspended until 10:00 GMT on Tuesday.