UAE carrier cites safety as top priority as bad weather disrupts India-UAE travel
An Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport to Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport — flight EY216 — was diverted to Jaipur Airport on April 11, 2025, due to severe weather conditions over India’s capital city. Strong dust storms and gusty winds disrupted air traffic in Delhi, forcing over 15 flights, including the Etihad service, to reroute for passenger safety, reported gulfnews.com.
Etihad Airways issued an official statement apologizing for the disruption. “The safety and comfort of our guests and crew is our number one priority. We apologise for disrupting your travel plans,” the airline emphasized.
Despite the weather hiccup, Etihad Airways reported robust growth in passenger numbers for March 2025, welcoming 1.6 million travellers — a 14% increase over the same month last year.
The return flight EY217 from Delhi to Abu Dhabi also faced delays due to the adverse weather conditions
The airline also posted an impressive 87% passenger load factor for the first quarter of 2025, up from 86% in Q1 of 2024, while growing its operational fleet by 10%.
Etihad Airways CEO Antonoaldo Neves highlighted the company’s strong performance, noting, “In the past month alone, we have announced two new routes and increased frequencies, bringing the total number of new destinations scheduled for 2025 to 16.” He also confirmed that the airline is nearing 20 million passengers welcomed over the past 12 months.