In a statement released this afternoon (January 5), the airline said, “Etihad Airways is dispatching relief aircraft to both Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand to assist passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted by the extraordinary weather conditions at Abu Dhabi over the weekend.
“Etihad Airways is also rebooking passengers onto other airlines, to ensure that they can now return or continue their journey as quickly as possible.
“The two relief flights are being brought into service in the next 24 hours to assist stranded passengers as the airline’s network begins to return to normal following a major disruption due to severe fog that resulted in widespread cancellations and delays to all airlines operating from Abu Dhabi airport.
“Etihad Airways’ scheduled three-times-a-day service between Abu Dhabi and Bangkok, and its daily service to/from Phuket are also now operating as normal.
“Etihad Airways apologises to its passengers for the inconvenience that this major disruption has caused and thanks them for their patience during these extremely challenging few days.
“Passengers are advised to contact the Etihad Airways Contact Centre (24-hours) in Thailand on 02 787 3377 or visit etihad.com/flightstatus for more information on the status of flights.”
It noted, however, “Response times will be longer than usual as the airline’s global contact centres continue to experience high volumes of calls from passengers wishing to change their flights or enquire about flight status.