A senior design engineer in the US, Satyaki Guha, 54, originally from Raiganj’s Ukilpara in North Dinajpur, is stranded in Dubai as the escalating tensions in West Asia led to sudden airspace closures.
From Dubai, Guha narrated his experience to The Telegraph on Sunday. Excerpts:
Though I was born in Ukilpara, Raiganj, I have been in the US for the past three decades. I live in Chicago, but my job as a senior design engineer requires me to travel to different countries for more than half of the year. I came to Dubai from Chicago on February 22 for official meetings that lasted four days. I was scheduled to return directly to Chicago on February 28 (Saturday) on an Emirates flight.
On February 28, around 6.30 in the morning, I checked out of my hotel, Intercontinental Marina, and took a cab to Dubai airport. I was in a good mood, looking at the Dubai skyline through the car window. After being away for a week, I was heading home. I was even planning to come to India later this year to meet my childhood friends
in Raiganj.
My flight was at 9.45am. I completed security formalities and boarded on time. The aircraft began taxiing towards the runway. I spoke to my friends and switched off my phone. After moving some distance, the plane stopped. That is not unusual, so I didn’t worry. After a while, it started moving again. But this time, it stopped again and did not proceed further.
Then, the pilot announced that America and Israel had launched airstrikes on Iran. Our flight route from Dubai to Chicago was supposed to pass over Iraq, Iran and Turkey. The airspace over these countries had been closed.
We were seated inside the aircraft. After a couple of hours, we were told that an alternative route was being explored. We sat there for nearly six hours before the final announcement came:
flight cancelled.
By then, most passengers had already seen the news online and understood the gravity of the situation. I must confess I was extremely scared.
After disembarking, I collected my luggage and tried to book a hotel from the airport. Since flights were being cancelled one after another, hotel rooms were filling up very fast. I contacted my company’s corporate security team, and they arranged a room for me at the JW Marriott Hotel in Dubai. That room is my temporary home.
As evening approached, tensions increased. At one point, I heard a loud blast very close to the hotel. The Dubai government and the American embassy kept sending advisories and safety instructions. We were told to take shelter in the basement in case of an airstrike.
Another guest at the hotel, who is a pilot, advised me to shift to a lower floor. I was initially staying on the 54th floor. I went to the reception and requested a room change and moved to the 15th floor. If there is an airstrike at night and the elevators stop working, it would be easier to come down from the 15th floor instead of the 54th floor.
I am keeping my laptop, passport, mobile charger and wallet packed in a bag within reach. I carry a torch in my pocket at all times. I also walked down to the basement using the stairs for practice. If there is a blackout at night, I can manage.
My company, my friends and colleagues are checking on me. My wife in Chicago is very tense. There is nothing much I can do; the situation is completely beyond my control. I can occasionally hear blasts at night. I am trying to remain mentally stable.
I can hardly sleep, I only drift off sometimes out of sheer exhaustion.
When I stepped outside the hotel this morning (Sunday), I saw a completely different Dubai. The streets were deserted. News of blasts was coming in. I have booked another Dubai–Chicago ticket for March 6. I have no option but to hope the airspace reopens soon.