DUBAI - As hurricane Sandy approaches the US east coast, United Arab Emirates' state-owned carriers, Emirates Airline from Dubai and Etihad Airways from Abu Dhabi, said Monday to cancel direct flights to New York City for October 30 and October 31.

Both airlines declined to say whether they would resume daily flights to New York from November 1 if conditions at the US east coast improve.

According to US department of transport, a total of 6,800 inbound and outbound flights to the US east coast have been cancelled so far. The ministry's website added that "The east coast of the United States is preparing for the convergence of Hurricane Sandy with a cold front that will produce serious storm conditions with a potential for several days of recovery."