Etihad Airways has issued a commercial waiver for passengers booked on its Abu Dhabi–Lisbon service after a last-minute aircraft change reduced seat capacity on select rotations from 11 February 2026. The bulletin, released to trade partners on 19 February, allows affected travellers to reroute for free to either Madrid or Barcelona on Etihad-operated flights, rebook in the lowest available class in the same cabin with no fare difference, or claim a full refund. Change- and no-show penalties are both waived provided tickets are re-issued or refunded by 28 February 2026.
The disruption stems from ongoing Pratt & Whitney engine inspections that have forced many carriers, including Etihad, to reshuffle wide-body and narrow-body assets. Business travellers heading to Portugal’s growing renewable-energy and fintech hubs are advised to check PNR remarks for the code “CW003-2026 Aircraft Change” to confirm eligibility for the waiver.
Corporate travel managers should update traveller-tracking tools; rerouting to Madrid (MAD) or Barcelona (BCN) will add 60–90 minutes of ground travel to Lisbon but avoids trans-Atlantic detours.
![Etihad offers free rebooking and refunds after aircraft swap on Lisbon route]()
Should the reroute require a fresh Schengen entry visa—particularly for travellers who were previously visa-exempt for Portugal-only stays—VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork in as little as 48 hours through its digital application dashboard. The service, accessible at https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/ lets UAE-based flyers upload documents, schedule biometrics and receive real-time status alerts, reducing the administrative friction of an already disrupted itinerary.
The policy applies to all tickets purchased on or before 31 January 2026, offering flexibility to both point-to-point flyers and those connecting from Asia-Pacific.
Etihad’s proactive waiver underscores the fragility of global aviation supply chains as engine and airframe maintenance bottlenecks persist. Multinational companies with regional headquarters in Abu Dhabi should review contingencies for Q1 travel to southern Europe, particularly for project teams accustomed to the nonstop EY 63/64 pairing.
The disruption stems from ongoing Pratt & Whitney engine inspections that have forced many carriers, including Etihad, to reshuffle wide-body and narrow-body assets. Business travellers heading to Portugal’s growing renewable-energy and fintech hubs are advised to check PNR remarks for the code “CW003-2026 Aircraft Change” to confirm eligibility for the waiver.
Corporate travel managers should update traveller-tracking tools; rerouting to Madrid (MAD) or Barcelona (BCN) will add 60–90 minutes of ground travel to Lisbon but avoids trans-Atlantic detours.
Should the reroute require a fresh Schengen entry visa—particularly for travellers who were previously visa-exempt for Portugal-only stays—VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork in as little as 48 hours through its digital application dashboard. The service, accessible at https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/ lets UAE-based flyers upload documents, schedule biometrics and receive real-time status alerts, reducing the administrative friction of an already disrupted itinerary.
The policy applies to all tickets purchased on or before 31 January 2026, offering flexibility to both point-to-point flyers and those connecting from Asia-Pacific.
Etihad’s proactive waiver underscores the fragility of global aviation supply chains as engine and airframe maintenance bottlenecks persist. Multinational companies with regional headquarters in Abu Dhabi should review contingencies for Q1 travel to southern Europe, particularly for project teams accustomed to the nonstop EY 63/64 pairing.
