British Airways has suspended all its flights on the popular holiday route between London Heathrow and Abu Dhabi.
The suspension is a result of engine issues on the airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircrafts.
Passengers already booked on flights will be forced to fly via Dubai or Doha instead – or switch to a flight via London Gatwick.
The disruption is set to last for around seven months from March 30 to October 25 next year.
The new development comes just a few months after BA relaunched its flights to the popular UAE capital for the first time since the pandemic four years ago.
A BA spokesperson told The Sun: « We’re disappointed that we’ve had to make further changes to our schedule as we continue to experience delays to the delivery of engines and parts from Rolls-Royce – particularly in relation to the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines fitted to our 787 aircraft.
« We’ve taken this action because we do not believe the issue will be solved quickly, and we want to offer our customers the certainty they deserve for their travel plans.
« We’ve apologised to those affected and are able to offer the vast majority a flight the same day with British Airways or one of our partner airlines.
« We continue to work closely with Rolls-Royce to ensure the company is aware of the impact its issues are having on our schedule and customers, and seek reassurance of a prompt and reliable solution. »
Passengers still looking to travel to Abu Dhabi directly have the option of rebooking with one of BA’s partner airlines – Etihad or Qatar Airways.
However, they will only be eligible if the date of the flight is less than 14 days from the booking date.
Their airline is also offering full refunds on all cancelled flights.
This is not the first time that issues with its 787 fleet have forced the suspension of flights. In October, BA postponed the relaunch of its route to Kuala Lumpur, which was set to take place in November.
It cited the same delayed wait times in the delivery of engine parts.
The issue forced the airline to ground six aircraft – 15% of its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet – because of issues around finding parts for the Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engines.
The route is now due to reopen on April 1 2025.
Flights to Beijing have also been suspended until November next year.
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