After days of uncertainty, passengers stranded in West Asia land in Hyderabad on special flights

Hundreds of stranded passengers return to Hyderabad from West Asia on special flights amid escalating tensions and airspace closures.

It was around 9.15 p.m. at the arrivals gate of Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) when hundreds of passengers began streaming out, many greeted by anxious families who had been waiting for hours. The travellers had been stranded in parts of West Asia amid escalating tensions and temporary airspace closures, and were brought back to the city on special flights operated late on Tuesday evening.

Two flights, an Etihad service from Abu Dhabi and an Emirates flight from Dubai, landed at the airport at around 8.30 p.m., carrying passengers whose journeys had been disrupted over the past few days.

Among those who emerged from the terminal was Sushmita, who immediately embraced her husband waiting outside. She had travelled to Dubai for a conference and was scheduled to return to Hyderabad on February 28. “Before I left for the airport, we were watching the news and I received a message from the airline saying my flight had been cancelled,” she said.

Stranded in Dubai, she contacted the airline again on March 2 and was informed that a flight to Hyderabad had been arranged. “They rescheduled my ticket and that is how I am finally back home,” she said.

Ashwin, another passenger, had been travelling from Hyderabad to Barcelona via Abu Dhabi when he learnt that the airspace had been closed. “I reached Abu Dhabi airport and then got to know that flights were suspended,” he said. The airline arranged hotel accommodation and meals for stranded passengers.

“Yesterday, airline staff came to the hotel and informed us that a flight was leaving. They asked whether we wanted to return to Hyderabad or continue our onward journey. I chose to come back home,” he said.