Coronavirus: Abu Dhabi’s Etihad to operate flight carrying Palestinian aid

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways is to operate a flight Tuesday carrying medical aid to be delivered to the Palestinians, an airline spokeswoman said.

The state-owned carrier also transported supplies to help the Palestinians combat the new coronavirus on May 19, after the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) coordinated a 16-tonne shipment from the UAE.

However, Palestinian authorities refused to receive that shipment because they said it had not been coordinated with them.

It was not immediately clear what has since happened to the first shipment. A Palestinian Authority spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment.

Like the first flight, Tuesday’s flight from Abu Dhabi will be cargo-only with no passengers onboard, the Etihad spokeswoman told Reuters by email.

“Etihad Airways continues to operate humanitarian flights providing much needed aid to nations within its network and beyond,” she said.

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