Aviation Flights turn into nightmare Hundreds of air travellers were stranded last Saturday for several hours on-board planes at the Abu Dhabi’s International Airport after a severe fog had caused the closure of the airport. This resulted in several flights being delayed or diverted. For some, the nightmare started here in Seychelles. Etihad Airways confirmed that a 73-year-old male passenger had also died on-board one of its flights to Germany. By A. De Giorgio Murphys Law states that “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong,” and this was the case for Etihad Airways on Saturday when chaos reigned at one of the fastest growing airport hubs in the world. The Abu Dhabi International Airport was forced to temporary close down all its air traffic operations last Saturday due to a heavy fog. “Airport operations were suspended due to the visibility which was lower than 100 metres, as per the standards and guidelines of civil aviation,” a press statement from the Abu Dhabi Airport explains. The national airline of the United Arab Emirates – and partner of Air Seychelles – Etihad Airways admitted that the temporary closure caused unprecedented congestion at the Abu Dhabi International Airport and that several flights were delayed or diverted as a result. This subsequently had knock-on effects on the network for the next 24 hours. Travellers from the four corners of the world transiting through Abu Dhabi were affected by the disrupted flights. An American news agency reported that hundreds of air travelers landed in San Francisco, safe but irritated after a 28-hour overseas flight they say included 12 hours stopover on a tarmac in the Middle East without food or accurate flight information. It seems tempers grew short on Etihad Airways Flight 183 when fog in the city of Abu Dhabi delayed takeoff for a half-day, passengers told San Francisco broadcaster KGO. “They kept telling us that we were going to leave, you know 15 minutes from now, 20 minutes from now, 30 minutes for now, for 12 hours,” said passenger Thomas Piani. “No one was angry about the delay itself. We all knew it was not safe to fly however it didn’t seem to make any logical sense why we had to stay on the plane for all those hours,” said passenger Ravali Reddy. Complaints about how Etihad Airways mishandled the situation and about the conditions aboard the planes during the wait at the airport have also reached this newspaper. TODAY was informed that passengers, who were scheduled to catch an Etihad flight to Paris (via Abu Dhabi) late night last Friday, were also affected by the fog in Abu Dhabi. However the fog doesn’t seem to be the only inconvenience that disrupted all the flights, according to a Seychellois lady who was travelling with her son. She told this newspaper that her flight did not land at the Abu Dhabi International Airport but was instead diverted to a nearby airport due to the weather condition. She and her son along with the other passengers were stranded on the plane for over eight hours. “The plane was completely shut down with no air-conditioning system and everyone was breathing the same air. We were told by the crew that passengers could not leave the plane without a visa,” she said. Furthermore, she explained that the reasons given to explain why the plane could not leave kept changing as time passed. The first excuse was that the aircraft tow-tractor had broken down. The second excuse was that the crew and pilots had exceeded their flight time limitations and therefore the plane had to wait for a new crew to take over. The third one was that the new crew had a road incident on their way to the airport and had to be hospitalized. “It was a complete nightmare and the worst part is that I lost all my connecting flights as a result and had to pay for the extra expenses out of my own pocket”, she added. The lady and her son finally arrived in Paris on Sunday evening. Except that Paris was not their final destination and that all flights to London were full… Just as it seems things cannot get worse for Etihad Airways, a 73-year-old male passenger died on-board flight EY23 to Dusseldorf, Germany last Saturday. TODAY contacted Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi to learn more about the incident. The airline replied stressing that Etihad Airways experienced unprecedented levels of flight disruption on Saturday following the closure of Abu Dhabi airport due to the fog in the early hours of that morning. The EY23 flight to Dusseldorf was one of the flights that was most affected by the runway closure and the subsequent congestion and delays, which impacted on all airlines. “During the time on the ground, awaiting permission to take-off, Etihad Airways provided passengers with refreshments and information about the reasons for the delay”, the press statement said adding that later during the flight, passengers were further informed of the need “for a medical diversion involving a 73-year-old male passenger”. “The diversion to Vienna meant the aircraft’s operating crew would exceed their flight time limitations if they subsequently proceeded to Dusseldorf. Therefore, passengers were provided with overnight hotel accommodation and the onward flight to their destination”, the statement goes on say. “Etihad Airways apologises to those passengers affected by these delays which were beyond the airline’s control and offers its deepest condolences to the family of the passenger who passed away”, it added. However, the airline would not release the name and nationality of the deceased nor the circumstances surrounding his death. newsobserver
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 05:57:06 +0000