(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Fog and mist engulfed most parts of the country on Saturday, causing flight delays and cancellations. The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) has issued an advisory for residents as foggy days are set to continue for next few days.
"There will be fog formation with poor visibility over roads especially coastal, internal and northern areas during Saturday night and Sunday morning. So follow the traffic rules and drive safely," the advisory reads
The NCM expects fair to partly cloudy weather and hazy at times. The weathermen added: "The weather will be relatively cold by night with light to moderate winds. The relative humidity will increase during night and early morning over some internal and coastal areas with a chance of fog and mist formation."
From Saturday late night to afternoon, there was dense fog formation over Abu Dhabi, eastern and western regions of the Capital. Roads connecting Abu Dhabi and Dubai and Al Ain were under thick blanket of fog. There was poor visibility of less than 1,000 metres and police urged motorists to maintain a safe distance while driving.
Abu Dhabi and Dubai Police urged drivers to maintain a safe distance between vehicles, follow traffic rules and adjust speed as per weather conditions. There was low to dense cover of fog over Abu Dhabi and Dubai airports and the weather conditions affected airline services.
There was massive rescheduling of inbound and outbound flights at Abu Dhabi International Airport.
Flights arriving from Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Riyadh, Jeddah, Kuwait, Bahrain, Muscat, Cairo, Amman, Riga, Chicago, New York, New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode were all delayed. Services to Dammam were cancelled.
Flights leaving to Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Dhaka, Jeddah, Kuwait, Muscat, Shanghai, Cairo, Rome, Riga, Manchester, London, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Kochi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad all were rescheduled. One PIA flight from Islamabad and Biman from Dhaka got diverted.
Etihad Airways said that due to heavy fog forecast in Abu Dhabi over the next few days, the airlines anticipate some flight delays and cancellations. As a consequence, some return flights into Abu Dhabi are also expected to face disruption.
"Etihad Airways continues to monitor the adverse weather conditions in Abu Dhabi and has in place contingency plans in the event of further disruption to its operations. Etihad Airways regrets any inconvenience caused which is beyond our control, and thanks guests for their understanding during this holiday period," Etihad Airways spokesperson said in a statement.
Guests holding bookings over the next few days are advised to check the status of their flights at etihad.com/flightstatus or through the Etihad Airways Mobile App before proceeding to the airport. Alternatively, guests can call the Etihad Airways Global Contact Centre +971 (0) 2599 0000, or access other local numbers through etihad.com/contacts for updates.
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