Abu Dhabi International Airport has resumed take-off and landing operations following flight disruptions this morning due to a technical failure of the runway landing systems at the airport, an Etihad Airways statement said.

All flights to Abu Dhabi this morning were diverted to other airports in the region due to extreme low visibility conditions, according to the Abu Dhabi Airports. The weather has since improved and the airport has resumed operations, Etihad said.

Diverted flights are returning to Abu Dhabi subject to ground servicing and the arrival of stand-by operating crews, who are currently being transferred by road and by air where possible.

The airport has since resumed operations following the improvement in the weather, and the airline is implementing a schedule recovery programme, Etihad said.

Of the 37 inbound flights diverted this morning to other airports in the GCC this morning, 35 have now returned to Abu Dhabi. Flight EY22 from Manchester was diverted to Dammam and is expected to return to Abu Dhabi on Thursday evening. Flight EY287 from Bangalore was diverted to Doha, and passengers from this flight have now been rebooked onto other carriers to their end destinations, it said.

Departures from Abu Dhabi have resumed, however significant delays and a number of cancellations are to be expected, it said. The statement listed 16 regional flights that were cancelled today (March 6).

Etihad Airways continues to work to minimise disruption to its customers. However, Etihad Airways anticipates that normal operations at Abu Dhabi Airport will not resume for another 24 hours, the statement said.

The airports statement also said all parties at the airport are working together towards minimising the disruption to all travelers.

It said 14 flights were diverted to Al Ain Airport, three to Al Maktoum Airport in Dubai, one to Al Bateen Airport, 10 flights to Doha Airport, 6  to Muscat, 2 to Damam and one flight to Bahrain airport.

Passengers travelling on other airlines are advised to contact their respective airline for flight updates or visit the airport website for details and updates, it added. -TradeArabia News Service