Etihad Airways and Flydubai announced Monday the suspension of flights to Doha, Qatar starting June 6 following the United Arab Emirates’ decision to cut diplomatic relations with the neighboring Gulf country.
A press statement from the Abu Dhabi-based national airline said the last Etihad flight from Abu Dhabi to Doha, Flight EY399, will depart at 02:45 (local time) on June 6 while the last flight from Doha to Abu Dhabi, Flight EY390, will depart at 04:00 (local time) also on June 6, Khaleej Times reported.
All Etihad customers booked for flights to and from Doha are being refunded of their unused tickets and rebooked for free to the nearest alternate Etihad Airways destinations, a spokesperson of the airline said.
Meanwhile, Flydubai passengers who have purchased tickets for travel between Dubai and Doha have to call their travel agent, the flydubai travel shop in Doha on 00974 4 4227350/51 or the airline’s contact centre in Dubai on (00971) 600 54 44 45 to arrange a refund.
The suspension of flights to and from Qatar comes as the UAE government ordered all Qatari diplomats in the country to leave within 48 hours and all Qatari residents and visitors in the emirate to leave within 14 days.
The UAE also banned the entry of Qataris to the country and Emiratis from going to, staying or transiting in Qatar. UAE airports and seaports will be closed to Qataris within 24 hours.
UAE, together with Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, broke diplomatic relations with Qatar on Monday because of the latter’s alleged continued support, funding and hosting of terror groups, primarily the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, and continued promotion of the ideologies of Daesh and Al Qaeda through its media.
photo credit: Tripadvisor.com
