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 Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport at around 12.50pm on Tuesday.
For four-year-old Shamik Vahishta and his parents, Arvind (35) and Deepa (34), the end of their week-long vacation in Dubai unfolded like a film script.
“I saw the tallest building (Burj Khalifa) and the Ferrari theme park was the most fun,” said the child, recalling highlights of the trip. His parents tried to ensure he focused only on the enjoyable memories, shielding him from the anxiety caused by the sudden flight cancellation and security warnings.
“We were supposed to return on February 28, but then due to escalation of unrest, our flight was cancelled at the last minute. We initially thought we would remain at the airport and board whichever next flight was possible. But then we kept getting alerts on our phones and announcements were made to ‘stay inside’. Ultimately, we decided that it’s better we stay in a hotel than wait at the airport,” said Noida-based Arvind.
He added: “We are really thankful to Air India. It was like a covert evacuation operation that the airline carried out. We got a call and message from them at around 10pm yesterday (Monday), stating that there’s a flight tomorrow in the morning, but they also added a caveat that there’s still a 50-50 chance. We informed them that we are ready to take a chance.”
Arvind was among those who managed to return amid the uncertainty. Many passengers described chaotic scenes at airports, repeated announcements and confusion over rescheduled departures.
For 34-year-old Hardik Doshi, a work trip turned into an anxious wait to return home. He described repeated announcements, sirens and an eerie atmosphere at the Abu Dhabi airport in the early hours of Tuesday.
“I had gone for a leisure trip sponsored by the company I work for last week on Wednesday and was supposed to return on March 1. It was around 400 of us from different departments who were sent for the trip, so when the cancellation happened, all of us got divided. No one really knows how many of us have returned, how many are in the hotel in Dubai and how many have their flights scheduled,” said Mumbai-based Doshi, who works in the finance sector and had a connecting flight from Delhi to Mumbai.
A 22-year-old from Delhi’s Punjabi Bagh, who has been working in Dubai for the past year, said panic and anxiety among his parents prompted him to return to India.
“The things aren’t bad at all the places. It’s mostly at the Palm Jumeirah side. In some hotels, I heard that they are shifting guests from their room to the basement area to ensure safety. But things aren’t as bad as the visuals are portraying,” said the 22-year-old, who did not wish to be named. “My parents were really panicked so I thought I’ll come back to India,” he added.
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