More than 100 stranded Indians returned home on Tuesday afternoon on a special flight from Dubai, recounting tense hours of uncertainty following last-minute cancellations, safety alerts and escalating unrest in parts of the Middle East.
The third special flight from Dubai landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport’s Terminal 3 at around 12.50 pm on Tuesday.
For four-year-old Shamik Vahishta and his parents, Arvind (35) and Deepa (34), the end of their week-long holiday in Dubai was like a movie script.
Recalling the highlights of the trip, the child said: “I saw the tallest building (Burj Khalifa) and the Ferrari amusement park was the most fun.” His parents tried to make sure he focused only on pleasant memories, protecting him from the anxiety caused by sudden flight cancellations and security warnings.
“We were supposed to return on February 28, but due to escalating unrest, our flight was canceled at the last minute. We initially thought we would stay at the airport and take any possible next flight. But then we kept getting alerts on our phones and ‘stay inside’ announcements were made. Ultimately, we decided that it was better to stay in a hotel rather than wait at the airport,” Noida resident Arvind said.
“We are really grateful to Air India. It was a secret evacuation carried out by the airline. We received a call and message from them at around 10 pm yesterday (Monday), saying that there is a flight tomorrow morning, but they also added a warning that there is still a 50-50 chance. We informed them that we are ready to seize the opportunity,” he added.
Arvind was among those who managed to return amid the uncertainty. Many passengers described scenes of chaos at airports, frequent announcements and confusion over scheduled departures.
For 34-year-old Hardik Doshi, a business trip turned into a tense wait to return home. He described the frequent announcements, sirens and strange atmosphere at Abu Dhabi airport in the early hours of Tuesday.
Mumbai-based Doshi, who works in the financial sector and has a connecting flight from Delhi to Mumbai, said: “I went on a leisure trip sponsored by my company last week on Wednesday, and I was supposed to return on March 1. About 400 of us from different departments were sent for this trip, so when the cancellation happened, we were all split up. No one really knows how many of us have returned, how many are in the hotel in Dubai, and how many have scheduled flights.”
A 22-year-old young man from Delhi’s Punjabi Bagh area, who has been working in Dubai since last year, said that panic and anxiety among his parents prompted him to return to India.
The 22-year-old, who requested to remain anonymous, said: “Things are not bad in all places. Most of them are on the Palm Jumeirah side. In some hotels, I heard that they move guests from their rooms to the basement area to ensure safety. But things are not as bad as the pictures depict.” “My parents were very terrified, so I thought I would go back to India,” he added.
