US winter storm forces Emirates to cancel New York flights amid holiday travel chaos

US airlines grounded more than 1,000 flights on Friday as severe winter storm warnings disrupted peak holiday travel, according to data from flight-tracking website FlightAware.

Emirates has cancelled multiple services to and from New York and rescheduled others as the Gulf carrier moves to avoid the worst of the anticipated snowstorm affecting the region.

The Dubai-based airline brought forward the departure of two services from John F Kennedy International Airport on Thursday evening, whilst cancelling a rotation between Newark Liberty International Airport and Athens.

By midday US Eastern Time, a total of 1,097 flights had been cancelled, whilst 3,608 others were delayed across the country. The US National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings, cautioning that hazardous travel conditions were expected to affect the Great Lakes region, the northern Mid-Atlantic and southern New England from Friday through Saturday morning.

Emirates adjusts flights amid US storm

Emirates flight EK202 from JFK to Dubai, originally scheduled to depart at 11pm local time on 26 December, departed five hours earlier at 6pm to arrive in Dubai at 3.25pm local time on 27 December. Flight EK206 from JFK to Milan and Dubai also departed nearly three hours ahead of schedule at 7.30pm.

The airline cancelled flight EK209 from Athens to Newark on 26 December, though the Dubai to Athens leg operated as scheduled. The return service, EK210 from Newark to Athens, was also cancelled, whilst the Athens to Dubai sector continued as planned.

Customers affected by the cancellations have been advised to contact their travel agency for rebooking, or to reach out to Emirates directly for flights booked through the carrier. Passengers travelling from New York are urged to check flight status regularly and ensure their contact details are current through the airline’s booking management system.