Passengers holding Etihad tickets purchased on or before February 28 with travel dates through March 7 can rebook at no cost onto the carrier’s own flights departing as late as March 18, the airline said in guidance released Tuesday.
The rebooking window is part of a broader set of measures announced as Etihad confirmed that operations at Zayed International Airport would remain frozen until 2pm local time on Thursday, March 5 — the latest in a series of extensions since disruptions first began over the weekend.
The carrier acknowledged it is fielding an unusually heavy volume of calls and asked travelers for patience as wait times stretch beyond normal levels. Affected passengers, Etihad said, are being reached individually and offered rebooking alternatives along with hotel stays where needed.
“The situation remains fluid and further adjustments may be required,” the airline stated, adding that it “continues to work in close coordination with the relevant authorities and will resume normal operations as soon as conditions permit.”
The suspensions trace back to a temporary partial closure of UAE airspace ordered by the General Civil Aviation Authority, which described the step as an exceptional precaution tied to what it called “rapidly evolving regional security developments” in a statement carried by WAM.
Abu Dhabi Airports had separately urged travelers as early as Saturday, February 28, to verify their flight status with airlines before heading to the terminal.
Etihad is directing passengers to check real-time flight information at etihad.com ahead of any airport trip and to confirm their contact details are current in their booking. Those who purchased tickets through travel agents have been told to coordinate refunds or changes through those agents, while direct bookers flying on or before March 3 can submit refund requests through the airline’s online form.
