Etihad Airways is laying on special relief flights from U-Taphao airport in Thailand to Abu Dhabi to help passengers who have been stranded in the country since the start of civil unrest and the closure of the major international airports in the capital, Bangkok.

The airline has secured rights to operate from U-Taphao, an airport 150 kilometres east of Bangkok, and will fly in special ground handling personnel and airport staff to assist with the operation.The flight will be operated by a Boeing 777 aircraft, which can accommodate a total of 378 passengers.

Captain Richard Hill, executive vice president operations, said: “Our staff in Thailand and Abu Dhabi have been working around the clock to finalise the plans to assist those passengers who have been stranded in Thailand since Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok closed on Wednesday night.

“We are monitoring the situation closely and currently working with both the UAE and Thai authorities on plans for additional relief flights to secure the safe departure of passengers from Thailand.”
 
The airline suspended its double daily service to Suvarnabhumi airport following its closure on Wednesday evening, November 26.

Services will be resumed when the airport reopens.
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