DUBAI, 16 July 2006 — Emirates, Etihad and Air Arabia airlines have arranged extra flights to Damascus to facilitate the flood of Emiratis seeking to leave the region due to the Israeli onslaught on Lebanon.
According to sources in the UAE Embassy, more than 1,450 UAE nationals have been evacuated from Beirut via Damascus. They have returned safely to the country.
The Sharjah-based Air Arabia has announced that it is operating extra flights to Damascus today and tomorrow. Airline officials also announced that they would review extra flights to Damascus after analyzing the ground situation on a daily basis, depending on whether the Damascus airport’s schedule and capacity allowed such an increase. Air Arabia has also canceled all its flights to and from Beirut until Friday.
Meanwhile, Emirates Airlines added three extra flights in addition to its regular one to Damascus on Friday and Saturday to bring back stranded UAE nationals and residents. Emirates flights from the Syrian capital are fully booked until Monday as passengers flee war-hit Lebanon via Syria. Emirates had rerouted its Beirut flights to Damascus since Friday.
Etihad Airways sources said that it had also increased flights to Damascus to bring back UAE nationals. Etihad’s scheduled flights from Damascus to Abu Dhabi are also fully booked up until Tuesday.
Etihad added four flights to its Damascus itinerary yesterday.
UAE carriers had announced they would keep their flights to Beirut but reroute them to and from Damascus until further notice.
