Imagine being on a flight, all ‘just settled in’, ‘reading a book’, totally unaware of what is happening outside, till you realise you may not reach your destination at all because a ‘war-like’ situation has suddenly unfolded. What was meant to be a routine journey for an Indian CEO travelling from Delhi to New York via Kuwait, turned out to be a “never-imagined” situation with a day full of uncertainty, as all flights to and from Gulf nations were disrupted amid Israel-US-Iran clashes.
“Then, maybe 45 minutes in, the pilot announced mid air that because Iraqi airspace suddenly closed, we can’t go forward. And, in the air, the flight reverted its route back to Kuwait. Was bit annoying then. I did not realise the mess I was getting into,” Varnwal wrote on X.
Hours after joint strikes hit Iran, the Islamic Republic launched retaliatory strikes – with explosions reported across Dubai, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, among other key West Asia hubs.
‘Probably just land 3 hours late…’
Varnwal said he initially suspected a technical issue and assumed the airline was withholding details, expecting only a minor delay. “Okay, fine, I’ll probably just land in New York three hours late…” he told himself, writing that even after returning to Kuwait, the seriousness of the situation had not fully hit him.
At the airport, he said, airline staff too appeared to have little clarity on scheduled departures till news reports came in about escalating tensions involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
“But, due to this Middle East conflicts always in news, I thought it to be routine, nothing to be worries about so much,” wrote the Indian entrepreneur.
Passengers were later rebooked on the same flight with a revised departure time of 1:30 p.m. (local time) and boarding passes were reissued. However, the flight did not depart.
By around 3 p.m., airline staff informed passengers that flights had been grounded indefinitely, marking the moment when Varnwal realised he was stranded.
Two hours later, Varnwal and other passengers – for whom Kuwait was a transit point – were told airlines would provide them with hotels.
“Finally, about 10pm, we were all checked in to 3-4 hotels in the city. And, this is how one of the most interesting days of my life ended. Now stuck here, waiting for the airspace to open, with war outside! Big thanks to friends and Indian Embassy for always being around and being so helpful. So proud to be an Indian,” the entrepreneur wrote.
Middle East flights impacted, passengers stranded across globe
— On Sunday, eighty-four MBA students and four faculty members from a Pune-based institute were stranded in Dubai due to airspace closures triggered by the West Asia conflict, PTI reported.
— With the shutting of Dubai Airport, which serves as a key transit point for multiple international routes, passengers across the globe have been affected.
— Swiss International Air Lines said Sunday it was extending the suspension of flights to and from Dubai up to and including March 4, “due to the ongoing tense situation in the Middle East”. Flights to and from Tel Aviv will remain suspended until and including March 8, SWISS added.
