A couple from Calcutta are stranded in Milan as their Air India flight to Delhi got cancelled.
“They purchased return tickets at a price of ₹70,000 each. We have arranged their travel on a Milan-Bangkok flight scheduled for March 4, which costs ₹1.03 lakh per ticket. After arriving in Bangkok, they will need to secure an additional flight to Calcutta,” stated Anjani Dhanuka, chairman of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) for the eastern region. “Numerous clients are currently stranded in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.”
At Calcutta airport, sources said three Emirates passengers turned up on Sunday morning and around 15 in the afternoon. They were “not aware” of the cancellations.
A woman in her 50s was booked on a Saturday night Emirates flight to Kuwait via Dubai.
“My ticket was rescheduled on Monday. But since Emirates suspended all flights to Dubai until March 2, this one will also be cancelled. I haven’t yet received the cancellation message,” the Tollygunge resident, who has been living and working in Kuwait for two decades, said on Sunday evening.
“I want to get back, but I am not sure how. I made an unscheduled visit to see an ailing family member. But I have important work lined up in Kuwait,” said the woman, who requested anonymity.
Many Indians living in Kuwait had flown out for the long weekend. Wednesday and Thursday were public holidays on account of National Day and Liberation Day. Now, they are stranded in different parts of India and abroad.
A couple from Calcutta, who also live in Kuwait, flew to Dubai on Saturday morning. But the connecting flight to Kuwait was cancelled. The Tollygunge resident and the couple are friends and neighbours in Kuwait.
“They were first kept at Dubai airport and taken somewhere else later on Saturday. They lack spare clothes. They cannot buy anything as all the shops are shut. Online aggregators are not working,” said the Tollygunge resident.
Bina Bagga, 32, a New York resident who was in India on vacation, was among those enquiring about her flight at Calcutta airport.
“I saw the news on television, but I wasn’t sure because my ticket still showed the status as ‘scheduled’,” she said.
“I came to the airport to confirm the status and only then did I find out that my flight had been cancelled.”
Bagga, who has been living in New York for over a decade and works at a private firm, said the uncertainty has put her in a difficult position.
“I have to join my office on Monday. If I get stranded here, how will I report to work? My vacation is over, and I have no option but to keep checking for the next available flight. I am looking for a hotel near the airport so I can return whenever flights resume,” she said.
Alison Humphreys, 64, a retired marketing professional from Cornwall in south-west England, was travelling with her husband. She said they learnt about the cancellation through news reports.
“We had a connecting flight from Dubai to New York on Monday morning. After seeing the news about the war situation, we realised that Middle East (West Asia) flights were being cancelled,” she said.
They were scheduled to reach New York on Monday, drive to Plymouth and board a train to Cornwall, which takes about half an hour. “We had to cancel all our bookings as the flights are uncertain,” Alison said.