The missile attack by Iran on the US airbase of Al Udeid in Qatar on Monday evening forced Gulf countries to close their airspace, causing major delays for flights to and from Calcutta and leaving numerous passengers stranded.
The international crisis directly impacted Calcutta’s connectivity to West Asia, with regular flights operating from Doha, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. Both Qatar and the UAE closed their airspace following the attack, though UAE reopened theirs during the night. Qatar’s airspace remained closed longer, according to Calcutta airport officials.
Flight delays
The Qatar Airways flight, originally scheduled to arrive in Calcutta at 2.20am and depart for Doha at 3.50am on Tuesday, was severely delayed. The aircraft finally touched down at 12.50pm with 238 passengers — more than 10 hours behind schedule.
The delay forced airport authorities to reschedule planned maintenance work. “The main runway was supposed to be closed for maintenance between 11am and 4pm on Tuesday. However, we deferred the maintenance work to accommodate the big aircraft of Qatar Airways, which could not have landed on the secondary runway,” said an airport official. The aircraft was a Boeing 787-8.
When the flight finally departed for Doha at 2.43pm, it carried only 11 passengers. “The airline was not taking onward passengers. Only those going to Doha boarded the flight. There were also some cancellations,” the official added.
Passengers’ plight
Among those affected were Farheen Rehman and her husband Mohammad Imran, who were booked on Tuesday’s Qatar Airways flight from Calcutta to London with a stop-over in Doha.
“We were ready to leave for the airport when one of my friends called me at around 10.30pm, asking how we would travel because Qatar’s airspace was closed,” said
Farheen, a resident of Panditiya Road in south Calcutta who runs a business in the UK and travels regularly between the city and London.
“I switched on the television and checked social media, then tried calling the airline’s airport number and customer care, but couldn’t reach either,” she said. The couple received a call from the airline at 12.30am informing them the flight was suspended until further notice.
“We were very upset that there was no information. Since morning, we tried to find updates through our travel agent —the airline didn’t inform us of anything,” Farheen alleged.