Etihad Airways confirmed on Monday that Flight EY219 from New Delhi to Abu Dhabi was held on the ground for several hours after thick winter fog blanketed Indira Gandhi International Airport. Visibility at the Indian capital plunged below 75 metres in the early-morning departure window, triggering low-visibility procedures and cascading delays across multiple airlines.
The affected Airbus A321 had been scheduled to leave Delhi at 04:05 local time, with a large contingent of UAE-bound business travellers hoping to connect onto Europe- and North-America-bound flights from Etihad’s hub. Airport authorities restricted runway operations to CAT-III-B certified movements only, dramatically slowing departure rates. By 07:30, Etihad told passengers the flight would be rescheduled once conditions improved and crew duty-time calculations were re-worked.
Etihad moved quickly to activate its disruption playbook: re-routing some connecting passengers onto later Etihad and partner-alliance services, issuing meal vouchers, and opening additional transfer desks at Zayed International Airport to manage missed onward flights.
![Dense fog in Delhi forces Etihad to delay Flight EY219 to Abu Dhabi]()
Travellers connecting to morning board meetings in Dubai were advised to consider a 90-minute road transfer from Abu Dhabi once they landed, while those holding time-sensitive Schengen visa appointments were offered re-booking without change fees.
For travellers who want to double-check their eligibility for visa on arrival or secure transit papers ahead of time, VisaHQ provides an easy online platform and real-time guidance for the UAE and more than 200 other destinations. Its dedicated UAE page (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) lets passengers verify requirements, arrange document pickup, and receive instant updates on rule changes—particularly helpful when unforeseen delays like Delhi’s winter fog threaten to complicate travel plans.
Weather-related delays between the Indian sub-continent and the UAE are an annual challenge for global-mobility managers. Dense fog in North India between December and February routinely ripples through Gulf hubs because Delhi is among Etihad’s top five feeder markets. Companies relocating staff or flying assignees through Delhi in winter should build at least six-hour connection buffers and keep contingency hotel inventory in Abu Dhabi.
From an immigration-compliance standpoint, the delay does not affect UAE entry permissions; visas are issued on arrival for most Indian passport-holders with eligible UK/EU/US visas or residency, and the 48-to-96-hour transit visa remains available. Nevertheless, travellers arriving after midnight should remember that UAE immigration stamps the actual arrival date, which can shorten stay calculations if their onward meetings spill into a new visa-day.
The affected Airbus A321 had been scheduled to leave Delhi at 04:05 local time, with a large contingent of UAE-bound business travellers hoping to connect onto Europe- and North-America-bound flights from Etihad’s hub. Airport authorities restricted runway operations to CAT-III-B certified movements only, dramatically slowing departure rates. By 07:30, Etihad told passengers the flight would be rescheduled once conditions improved and crew duty-time calculations were re-worked.
Etihad moved quickly to activate its disruption playbook: re-routing some connecting passengers onto later Etihad and partner-alliance services, issuing meal vouchers, and opening additional transfer desks at Zayed International Airport to manage missed onward flights.
Travellers connecting to morning board meetings in Dubai were advised to consider a 90-minute road transfer from Abu Dhabi once they landed, while those holding time-sensitive Schengen visa appointments were offered re-booking without change fees.
For travellers who want to double-check their eligibility for visa on arrival or secure transit papers ahead of time, VisaHQ provides an easy online platform and real-time guidance for the UAE and more than 200 other destinations. Its dedicated UAE page (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) lets passengers verify requirements, arrange document pickup, and receive instant updates on rule changes—particularly helpful when unforeseen delays like Delhi’s winter fog threaten to complicate travel plans.
Weather-related delays between the Indian sub-continent and the UAE are an annual challenge for global-mobility managers. Dense fog in North India between December and February routinely ripples through Gulf hubs because Delhi is among Etihad’s top five feeder markets. Companies relocating staff or flying assignees through Delhi in winter should build at least six-hour connection buffers and keep contingency hotel inventory in Abu Dhabi.
From an immigration-compliance standpoint, the delay does not affect UAE entry permissions; visas are issued on arrival for most Indian passport-holders with eligible UK/EU/US visas or residency, and the 48-to-96-hour transit visa remains available. Nevertheless, travellers arriving after midnight should remember that UAE immigration stamps the actual arrival date, which can shorten stay calculations if their onward meetings spill into a new visa-day.
