ABU DHABI // Motorists have been warned to drive carefully during the foggy conditions which have disrupted travel over the past few days.
The Ministry of Interior said on its Twitter account on Sunday morning: “Low visibility due to fog on different parts in Abu Dhabi and highways. Motorists are urged to take extra caution.”
Dubai Police, in its official Twitter account, issued a similar warning to drivers. “Dear Driver: do not be the cause of traffic congestion by blocking traffic flow,” police said.
The warning follows a 19-car pile-up on the Abu Dhabi-Al Ain Road on Saturday morning which left three people injured after thick fog descended on the capital.
Flights at Abu Dhabi International Airport continued to be affected by the fog, and Etihad Airways cancelled 20 return flights, with a number of flights subject to revised times.
After a major restructuring of operations overnight, aircraft congestion at the airport eased, with many disrupted services departing and delayed inbound services arriving in the UAE capital.
In addition, the rebooking of many Etihad Airways passengers on later flights, or their transfer to other airlines, helped ease the pressure on Abu Dhabi International Airport, while the cancellation or deferral of flights around the network provided more pilots and cabin crew to operate rescheduled services.
The main focus was to provide flights for passengers still stranded in Abu Dhabi and other ports around the network following the extraordinary disruption, the airline said.
The airline urged any passengers who could defer their travel to, from, or through Abu Dhabi, up to and including Tuesday to rebook on later flights. Normal cancellation and refund fees will be waived during this period.
The National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology said that Monday would be foggy over some areas, becoming fair to partly cloudy in general. A slight rise in day temperatures was also expected, especially over the interior.
“Relative humidity is likely to increase during the night and tomorrow early morning over some coastal and internal areas. Sea is slight to moderate in general,” its online forecast said on Sunday.
newsdesk@thenational.ae
