Dubai-based Emirates Airline has cancelled at least 14 rotations linking its Dubai hub with Dallas, New York, Boston and Washington after a powerful winter system—dubbed Storm Fern—blanketed much of the Eastern United States with heavy snow and ice. The carrier published an updated list of affected flight numbers covering 24–26 January and advised passengers not to commence travel if they are ticketed on the cancelled services.
Customers connecting via Dubai will also be turned away at their point of origin if any onward segment in their itinerary is grounded. Travellers holding Emirates tickets can rebook on alternative dates or request refunds, but the airline warns that seats on remaining services are extremely limited because of the busy post-holiday travel period.
![Emirates Scraps Multiple US Flights as Storm Fern Batters North America]()
Logistics specialists say the cancellations could have a ripple effect on high-value belly-cargo—especially electronics and perishables—that normally move in the holds of Emirates’ twice-daily A380 services to New York (JFK) and daily 777 flights to Washington (IAD). Freight forwarders are scrambling for capacity via European gateways or charter lift, adding cost and transit time for UAE exporters.
For corporate mobility teams, the disruption means last-minute itinerary rewrites for executives shuttling between Gulf headquarters and U.S. financial centres. Employers are reminding staff to keep U.S. ESTA or visa details handy in case they need to re-route through third-country hubs such as London or Frankfurt where entry requirements differ.
Emirates says normal operations will resume “as soon as weather conditions permit,” but industry meteorologists predict Fern’s impact could linger through mid-week as airports work through snow-removal backlogs.
Customers connecting via Dubai will also be turned away at their point of origin if any onward segment in their itinerary is grounded. Travellers holding Emirates tickets can rebook on alternative dates or request refunds, but the airline warns that seats on remaining services are extremely limited because of the busy post-holiday travel period.
Logistics specialists say the cancellations could have a ripple effect on high-value belly-cargo—especially electronics and perishables—that normally move in the holds of Emirates’ twice-daily A380 services to New York (JFK) and daily 777 flights to Washington (IAD). Freight forwarders are scrambling for capacity via European gateways or charter lift, adding cost and transit time for UAE exporters.
For corporate mobility teams, the disruption means last-minute itinerary rewrites for executives shuttling between Gulf headquarters and U.S. financial centres. Employers are reminding staff to keep U.S. ESTA or visa details handy in case they need to re-route through third-country hubs such as London or Frankfurt where entry requirements differ.
Emirates says normal operations will resume “as soon as weather conditions permit,” but industry meteorologists predict Fern’s impact could linger through mid-week as airports work through snow-removal backlogs.
Source: Gulf News
