Two major airlines in the UAE cancelled multiple flights and rescheduled others after meteorologists issued blizzard warnings for New York, Newark and other US states as a fast-developing snowstorm is threatening to pummel the US East Coast.

Authorities in the States warned the public that heavy snow and gale-force winds are forecast to slam all major cities along the densely populated Interstate 95 northeast corridor, including Philadelphia, Boston and even Washington further south.

Dubai-based airline Emirates urged customers impacted by the cancellations to contact their travel agency for rebooking. Meanwhile, those who booked directly with Emirates have been urged to reach out to the airline.

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The following flights have been cancelled:

• EK203 / February 22 – Dubai to New York (JFK)

• EK204 / February 23 – New York (JFK) to Dubai

• EK209 / February 22 – Athens to Newark (EWR)

• EK210 / February 23 – Newark (EWR) to Athens

The following flights have been rescheduled:

• EK202/ February 23: The flight will depart from New York (JFK) at 6pm local time on February 22 and arrive in Dubai at 3.25pm local time on February 23.

• EK201/ February 23: The flight will depart from Dubai at 2.30pm local time on February 23 and arrive in New York (JFK) at 7.55pm local time on February 23.

• EK206 / February 23: The flight will depart from New York (JFK) at 8pm local time on February 22 and arrive in Milan at 9.35am local time on February 23.

For customers who have been impacted by the rescheduling of flights and connecting in Dubai, the airline clarified these will be rebooked until their final destination. They have been urged to check flight status regularly for the flight timings.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused. We continue to monitor the situation closely,” the airline stated.

Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad also cancelled and rescheduled some flights on February 23.

The following flights have been cancelled:

• February 23: EY1 Abu Dhabi (AUH) – New York (JFK)

• February 23: EY2 New York (JFK) – Abu Dhabi (AUH)

• February 23: EY7 Abu Dhabi (AUH) – Boston (BOS)

• February 23: EY8 Boston (BOS) – Abu Dhabi (AUH)

Flights that have been rescheduled:

• February 22: EY4 New York (JFK) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) will depart four hours earlier at 6pm local time.

• February 23: EY3 Abu Dhabi (AUH) – New York (JFK) is delayed by approximately five hours and is now scheduled to depart at 2.40pm local time.

The airline added the changes will adapt to evolving weather conditions and further delays or cancellations may occur if required.

Affected guests are being assisted by the airline and will be rebooked on alternative flights when services resume, or offered a full refund where requested.

Travellers have been advised to ensure their contact details are up to date by visiting Etihad’s website to receive latest updates via SMS or email.

Among other airlines, Air India has cancelled flights to and from New York and Newark. The Indian carrier said the decision to cancel flights on February 23 was taken to ensure safety, wellbeing and convenience of passengers and crew.

The NWS headquarters said snowfall rates of more than one inch (2.5 centimetres) an hour will occur at times along parts of the East Coast, with huge snow totals “resulting in near-impossible travel conditions”.

The heavy, wet snow may result in numerous power outages, it warned.

In New York City, authorities and residents were bracing for a direct hit, the first blizzard to sock the city since 2016.

A mega-storm that swept across the eastern half of the country in late January was linked to more than 100 deaths nationwide, and slammed some cities with heavy snow and sleet that froze into rock-hard ice.

With inputs from AFP