Emirates is scheduled to operate its first flight to Calcutta on Saturday since the outbreak of the war in West Asia, airport sources and tour operators said on Friday.
The flight from Dubai is expected to arrive at the Calcutta airport on Saturday evening. Fares for the flight range between ₹15,500 and ₹20,000, according to travel agents.
Metro reported on Friday that the first flight to Calcutta from a West Asian destination landed early Thursday, more than 113 hours after flight operations were halted due to the ongoing conflict. The flydubai plane from Dubai carried 130 stranded passengers.
Airport sources said the Emirates flight is scheduled to arrive in Calcutta at 6.50pm. Emirates and other Gulf carriers had begun limited operations a few days ago to evacuate passengers stranded because of the airspace closure.
Although only one flight to Calcutta from a West Asian destination had operated till Friday evening, many Calcuttans have started returning via other cities.
Among them was a group of 22 tourists who had travelled to Egypt and got stuck there. They returned to Calcutta on Friday afternoon. The group, mostly senior citizens, had reached Egypt on February 19 and were scheduled to return on February 28 on a Qatar Airways flight from Cairo to Calcutta via Doha.
“When we arrived at Cairo airport on February 28, we learned that Doha airport was closed due to the war and our flight was cancelled,” said 68-year-old Kanchan Kumar Mukherjee, a resident of Salt Lake, who had travelled with his 64-year-old wife, Sucheta.
“Qatar Airways arranged hotel accommodation for us, but everyone was worried and wanted to return home. Our children were anxious and calling frequently,” Kanchan said. “After flights partially resumed, we tried every day to get seats, but it was difficult because of the size of our group.”
Finally, on Thursday, they were booked on an EgyptAir flight to Delhi. “They offered options through Saudi Arabia or Ethiopia, but we didn’t accept. What would have happened if we got stuck there?” Kanchan said.
At Cairo airport, they saw many other stranded passengers flying to Europe, the US and elsewhere. Their flight departed at 11.55pm local time on Thursday and arrived in Delhi at 9.10am Indian time on Friday. The group then took an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Calcutta, arriving at 5.30pm.
Md Asif Sadique, 42, a businessman from Beck Bagan dealing in electronic goods, returned to Calcutta from Dubai on Friday evening via Mumbai. He had travelled to Dubai on February 21 and was supposed to return on March 2 but got stuck there.
Sadique got a seat on a Mumbai-bound flight on Friday without paying extra charges.
“Earlier at Dubai airport, passengers could go straight to the check-in counter. Now, authorities have set up barriers to scan tickets and allow only those whose flights are operating,” he said.
An Emirates spokesperson said: “Following the partial re-opening of regional airspace, Emirates is operating a reduced flight schedule... We anticipate a return to 100% of our network in the coming days, subject to airspace availability and operational requirements.” The airline has carried approximately 30,000 passengers out of Dubai, including those from India. “By March 7, Emirates will operate 106 daily return flights to 83 places, representing almost 60% of our route network,” the spokesperson added.