UAE summer holidays: Will flights to and from Europe be affected by airport strikes? – information

Residents’ travel plans remain unchanged, instead of canceling, they avoid strike-prone cities and choose to fly to another city in the same country

Passengers enter the departure area of ​​Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport in the Gulf Emirates on August 16, 2022.Photo: AFP

UAE residents are keeping their travel plans intact, as flights between the UAE and most European cities are currently unaffected by the air traffic control strikes that have engulfed the continent this summer.

A spokesman for Wizz Air told the Khaleej Times: “There are no changes to our UK flight schedule for the remainder of the year.” “We know there will always be disruptions beyond our control but we have done everything we can to Trying to be ready for the peak summer season and make sure passengers arrive on time.”

A spokesman for the Abu Dhabi-based low-cost carrier added: “We started preparing for summer last September and invested £90 million to make our operations more resilient and agile. Flights and crew rotations are scheduled for more time to make schedules more robust, and new artificial intelligence (AI) tools are implemented to better predict and mitigate possible disruptions.”

Major UAE airlines are operating normally but are also closely monitoring the situation at European airports. A spokesman for Dubai-based Emirates confirmed that their flights to and from Europe are currently unaffected and any changes will be announced immediately.

A spokesman for national carrier Etihad told the Khalij Times late on Tuesday: “Our flights are currently operating normally between the UAE and Europe. As always, we will continue to monitor and plan for any strikes or disruptions that may affect our flights. “

Travel agencies in the country also confirmed that their clients will keep their summer travel plans intact.

International Travel Agency manager Raja Mir Wasim said: “So far, we have not received any inquiries about rescheduling or rebooking flights. Outbound travelers from the UAE have not shown any concerns.

“Late last month, some passengers asked about immigration delays at Heathrow. Passengers who were supposed to be traveling soon expressed concern about the issues. Some passengers asked about flights to other airports around London, such as landing at Stansted. Flights at the airport or Manchester Airport are the opposite. But with the security staff calling off the strike, so far so far so smooth,” he added.

TP Sudheesh, general manager of Deira Travel and Tourism Agency, also expressed a positive view. “So far, we have not received any notice of any significant impact of these strikes. We have not received any such inquiries that have troubled or affected outbound travellers,” he said.

He added: “It is too early to speculate on the impact of the strikes in different countries in Europe because the dates of the strikes are different, some involving security personnel and some involving air traffic control (ATC). So as of now, we have not received Any inquiries or concerns from passengers.”

Avinash Adnani, managing director of Pluto Travels, noted: “Instead of calling off the strike, UAE residents avoided the city where the strike took place and chose to land in another city in the same country.”

“Mature operators, that’s beneficial.”

Air traffic control (ATC) strikes are engulfing many European cities. Terminal technicians at Birmingham Airport will go on strike from July 18. Pilots at Iberia Regional Air Nostrum are on daily indefinite strike from June 6 over a pay dispute.

British airline EasyJet said on Monday it would cancel around 1,700 flights to and from London Gatwick Airport during the current summer travel season. The airline noted that air traffic controllers had taken strike action over the flight cancellations.

An air traffic control strike in France has also caused delayed and limited flights across the country, with other problems at airports across Europe.