Chennai receives its first West Asia flight amid war
CHENNAI: Huge sigh of relief filled the air as 217 passengers landed at Chennai airport on an Emirates flight from Dubai, the first carrier to land in Chennai International Airport after the war broke out in the West Asia, around 2.20 am on Tuesday.
Several passengers said they had been stranded in Dubai after tensions flared in the region, prompting authorities in the United Arab Emirates to temporarily suspend flight operations. Rangan, travelling with his wife, said passengers were shifted to hotels in Dubai as a precautionary measure. “The conflict started while we were preparing to return. The UAE government did not want to take risks and accommodated us,” he said.
Others recalled growing anxiety over the weekend as reports of explosions emerged. “We could hear explosions and kept watching the skies,” said Jayanthi, another passenger, adding cabin lights were switched off during parts of the return journey. A passenger staying near Dubai airport said there were rumours of an attack, though no direct impact was witnessed.
The flight’s arrival came amid widespread disruption to international air traffic from Chennai. Escalating hostilities between Iran and Israel forced the cancellation of 30 international flights at the airport on Tuesday.
Airport sources said 15 departures and 15 arrivals were cancelled over the 24-hour period. The disruption was concentrated on services connecting Chennai with key Gulf hubs-including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Muscat, Kuwait, Sharjah and Bahrain-which together account for a significant share of the airport’s international passenger traffic, spanning migrant workers, business travellers and long-haul transit passengers.
Outbound cancellations began shortly after midnight and continued through late evening, affecting multiple daily services to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, as well as flights to Doha and Muscat. Inbound operations mirrored the pattern, with early-morning, daytime and late-night arrivals from the same destinations called off.
Several Indian and international carriers, including IndiGo, Air India, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Oman Air, Kuwait Airways and Gulf Air, were impacted.
The disruption is expected to extend beyond March 3. Etihad Airways has cancelled its Abu Dhabi-Chennai-Abu Dhabi service scheduled for March 5, citing the continued closure of UAE airspace, airport officials said.
Meanwhile, Air India Express operated Muscat-bound flight from Tiruchy on Tuesday albeit at a six-hour delay, at 7.15 am with 80 passengers on board. Passenger traffic at the Tiruchy airport has, however, come down by 20%.
(With inputs from Tiruchy)