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Tuesday, April 23, 2024 8:40 GMT
Etihad Airways has announced temporary changes to its route network in light of the current coronavirus situation worldwide.In a statement, the UAE airline said: "Due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, and its continuing impact on air travel services globally, Etihad Airways continues to follow UAE and international government and regulatory authority directives and has implemented a series of consolidated network changes." It went on to say that the decision was also being carried out to ensure the "safety and convenience" of its customers and staff, and to "to minimize operational disruption during this period".The Etihad statement noted that all flights to Milan have been suspended until April 30, while flights to Rome (EY85/86) were suspended until April 30. Flights to the same city (EY83/84) were suspended until June 30 as well.The airline noted that all flights for Istanbul, Beirut, Casablanca and Rabat will be suspended from March 16 to 31. All flights for Amman, Madrid and Barcelona are suspended from March 17 to 31, the national airline added.It went on to note that flights to Jakarta will be reduced from double-daily to daily, with the suspension of flights EY472/471, from March 18 to June 30. As for flights to Seoul, flights will be reduced from daily to four flights per week - operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays - beginning from March 30 to April 30.All flights for Hong Kong have been suspended until June 30, it continued. Bangkok flights will be reduced from triple-daily to double-daily, with the suspension of flights EY406/405, from March 21 to May 2.Etihad Airways went on to note that previously announced network changes remain in place. These include suspension of all flights for Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Madinah, and Kuwait up until March 31.Bahrain and Muscat flights have been reduced from triple-daily to double-daily until March 31. All Shanghai flights continue to be suspended until March 28, while all Chengdu flights remain suspended until further notice. Lastly, all Nagoya flights continued to be suspended until June 30.The airline noted that future changes to the route network may occur due to government directives in key markets. "Etihad Airways is working closely with regulatory authorities in the UAE and overseas and is continuing to monitor this situation closely," it added.For passengers impacted by flight cancellations, procedures are in place for fare refunds or for flight changes when services resume, the airline continued. Etihad Airways is urging guests whose flights are impacted by COVID-19 travel restrictions to refrain from calling the airline’s customer service lines unless their flights are scheduled within the next 48 hours. "Contact Centers are currently experiencing significant congestion and long waits. The immediate priority is to assist those guests with imminent travel," it noted.