Dozens of city residents returning from abroad remain stranded at Gulf airports following Iran’s missile attack on a US air base in Qatar on Monday evening, which triggered widespread flight disruptions across the region.
The crisis has also caused airfares from Gulf cities to Calcutta to more than double, according to tour operators.
The international incident led to temporary airspace closures across several Gulf countries, forcing airlines to cancel numerous flights. While flight operations have gradually resumed, passengers report being stuck at overcrowded airports with no available seats on departing aircraft.
“Many people returning to Calcutta from different countries are stuck because of the flight disruptions,” said Anil Punjabi, national committee member of the Travel Agents Federation of India’s eastern region. “Normalcy is resuming, but demand for seats is extremely high, making it difficult for many to get tickets.”
The fare surge has been dramatic. Economy class tickets from Abu Dhabi to Calcutta were priced around ₹60,000 on Wednesday evening for Thursday departure --- more than double the usual ₹25,000-30,000 range. Dubai-Calcutta fares have reached similar levels.
Debarati Banerjee, an associate professor of history at Netaji Subhas Open University, and her husband found themselves among the stranded after flying from Brussels on Etihad Airways on June 24. Their flight to Abu Dhabi was delayed due to route diversions, causing them to miss their connecting flight to
Calcutta.
“We found that we weren’t the only ones stuck. Many passengers from the US and Europe also had connecting flights,” Banerjee told The Telegraph from Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
“The airport was so crowded that it was difficult for authorities and airline staff to accommodate passengers on connecting flights. All flights were full,” she said.
Banerjee and her husband were at a hotel in Abu Dhabi. She said the airline told them it would not be possible for them to arrange seats before Thursday. Etihad arranged for their stay in the hotel, along with transfer from the airport and meals.
Banerjee, who had travelled to Brussels to present an academic paper, described chaotic conditions at Abu Dhabi airport.
“Flights are delayed, and there are people who have been stuck here for two to three days. We also have to stay here for at least two days because they cannot accommodate us on a flight to Calcutta before that,” she said. “There are ailing elderly people and children who are stranded. There’s luggage everywhere and a lot of chaos.”
The disruptions have also affected business travellers. Dipanwita Banerjee, another Calcutta resident, was part of a corporate group of over 10 people who travelled to Abu Dhabi for work on June 20. She was scheduled to return to Calcutta on June 24 on Air India with a Mumbai stopover.
“On June 23 night, she informed me on WhatsApp that the flight was cancelled because of Iran’s missile attack on the Qatar air base, which also led to UAE airspace closure,” said her husband, Soumen Banerjee, a Salt Lake resident.
The company arranged road transport from Abu Dhabi to Dubai for the employees, but as of Wednesday evening, they still hadn’t secured seats on flights back to Calcutta and remained in Dubai hotels.
Etihad Airways stated on its website that “flights only operate through approved airspace” and that “safety is always our highest priority”. “Etihad continues to monitor developments closely,” it said.