An Etihad Airways flight, one of a limited number of flights that took off from Abu Dhabi on Monday, landed in Delhi on Monday evening with 310 people on board, stranded in the country after Iran launched a series of missile and drone strikes on several Gulf countries, after being hit by US-Israeli missile strikes from Saturday.
The flight landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport’s Terminal 3 at 8:30 pm on Monday. It was an emotional scene as passengers entered through the gates, with parents and friends running inside to welcome their relatives with hugs.
Vinod Sharma, 55, said: “My son Shiv was returning from Manchester via Abu Dhabi on Saturday, but he got stuck there. We were very scared because he told us that he could hear and see the missiles being intercepted above the hotel where he was staying. We were tracking his flight all the time and could only relax when it entered Indian airspace.”
Danista Berwin, 50, another worried mother waiting at the terminal on Monday, said her daughter, an Etihad Airways crew member, had not been able to return. “Anyway, she was scheduled to come on February 28, but she couldn’t,” she said, hugging her daughter. “She was telling us that she could see the walls of the airport shaking because of the missiles. It’s her birthday tomorrow too, so I’m happy that she’s back and can celebrate it with us.”
Shashi Parma (52 years old), who was returning with her son and daughter-in-law, said that they were thrilled to return home.
“We had no idea what was going to happen to us, and we were worried that we would be stuck there for a very long time,” she said, wiping her tears. “I feel very relieved to be in Delhi with my children, and now I feel safe for the first time in two days.”
Rahul Kumar, 42, said he was scheduled to fly on February 28 and was even given a boarding pass at the airport when Iranian missiles forced authorities to ground the planes.
“I was supposed to come back on the 28th and got my boarding pass as well, but then the flight was suspended, after which we saw missiles being intercepted in the sky several times. We also felt debris from the same falling on our hotel, which was very scary for me and my family,” Kumar said.
Harbinder Sidhu (50 years old) was returning from Canada and stopped in Abu Dhabi when he got stuck. She said: “We also heard the missiles, but the authorities did not allow panic to take over.”
Like her, many passengers praised the authorities for taking steps to keep them comfortable despite the ongoing situation.
Prajwal Verma, 32, said he was also traveling from Toronto to Delhi, but the flight was cancelled. “We heard the missiles several times and we were afraid, but now that I am back here, I feel relieved and I cannot wait to meet my family, as I was traveling alone.”
Anjana Gupta (60 years old) said that she was happy that her son and daughter-in-law had finally returned. “For the past two days, they have been sending us videos of explosions in the sky and the windows of their hotels shaking, which was really making us afraid, so I am happy that they are back,” she said.
