The United Arab Emirates (UAE) national carrier Etihad Airways announced on Saturday that it has suspended operations through Iranian airspace over the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.

Etihad Airways consulted closely with the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority and other UAE airlines to evaluate the US action to restrict US airline operations in Iranian-controlled airspace, and then made the decision, said an official statement received by Xinhua.

The airline will use alternative flight paths on a number of routes to and from Abu Dhabi until further notice.

These changes will cause delays on some departures from Abu Dhabi because of the increased congestion in available airspace, and will increase the time of the journey on some routes, the statement added.

Etihad Airways will provide updates of affected flights on its global website.