The Abu Dhabi International Airport (ADIA) will be closed to all air traffic for 12 hours from 02:15 am on July 22.

The closure is due to maintenance work needed on its runway, said Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), the owner-operator of the airport.

“Having identified an abrasion in the runway, ADAC has taken the decision that a re-asphalting of a small section of the airport’s only airstrip is essential and is to be conducted early next week,” said Massimiliano Dosi, chief operating officer, ADAC.

Due to the time of year and the extremely high summer temperatures being experienced in Abu Dhabi, day and night, this generally routine procedure means it would need longer than usual for the new asphalt to set and be ready for operational use, hence the 12-hour scheduled closure, he said.

Abu Dhabi Airports Company has stated that it has been working closely with the home airline, Etihad Airways, along with all its other airline operators through Abu Dhabi International Airport in order to minimise any inconveniences that may be caused.

ADAC has also advised all passengers scheduled to fly on July 22, to check directly with their airline or travel agent in order to understand if and how this will affect their flight schedules.

Meanwhile, Etihad Airways has announced that it was cancelling eight flights of its daily total of 95 due to the airport’s closure.

A significant number of other flights will have their departure or arrival times either brought forward or delayed to avoid the runway closure period.

The cancelled flights are four roundtrips: EY321 and EY322 Abu Dhabi-Dammam-Abu Dhabi; EY371 and EY372 Abu Dhabi-Bahrain-Abu Dhabi; EY381 and EY382 Abu Dhabi-Muscat-Abu Dhabi, EY393 and EY394 Abu Dhabi-Doha-Abu Dhabi.

The airline has advised customers booked to travel on July 22 to visit its website www.etihadairways.com or ring its call centre (02) 69 39 800 to check the status of their flights.– TradeArabia News Service