NEW DELHI: Much to the relief of the huge Indian diaspora in West Asia, Indian carriers transporting passengers from Dubai, Jeddah, Abu Dhabi and Muscat reached Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Tuesday after a three-day gap in operations.
Additionally, another flight with 143 cockpit crew of Air India and Air India Express, who were stuck in different cities in the Gulf, also reached Delhi.
While Indian airlines have cancelled 1,221 overseas flights over the last three days and foreign carriers have cancelled 388 flights due to the raging crisis, the first flight by an Indian operator to reach India from West Asia was AI 916D from Dubai. Without any intimation regarding its arrival, the flight carrying 149 passengers reached Terminal 3 at 10.58 am.
A source said, “We mobilised all our resources promptly and utilised the opportunity to fly back stranded passengers from the Dubai International Airport at the earliest when we heard one flight could be sent.” It comprised only Air India passengers who had booked tickets but could not travel earlier due to the raging crisis.
Passenger Mohamad Adil said, “There are no issues in Muscat as such. The atmosphere in Oman is totally peaceful.” A passenger from Abu Dhabi said it was “a very scary experience watching missiles constantly being intercepted in the city. Another passenger seconded it stating that though the situation was quite frightening, they felt safe.
Passengers from Dubai told news agencies that they were relieved to return to India, particularly in light of the soaring living costs in Dubai after the crisis erupted. A passenger said, “The situation is quite normal; there’s not much tension, but due to flight cancellations and other things, people are facing financial impacts. Staying there is very expensive. Air India guided us completely. The government there is providing as much help as it can.”
Delhi airport had 80 international cancellations, of which 36 were departures.
Dubai very expensive
“We had gone to Dubai as tourists. Our return was scheduled for February 28, and that’s when all this happened, and our flight got cancelled,” a passenger told this newspaper. He said living expenses in Dubai suddenly became very expensive.