Three Emirates flights landed in Calcutta between Saturday night and Sunday night, carrying more than 800 passengers stranded in the Gulf.

The first one landed at midnight with 279 passengers and departed at 1.55am with 26 passengers. The second flight landed with 288 passengers at 7.46am. It departed at 9.40am with 79 passengers, the carrier said. The third landed at 6.55pm with 247 passengers and flew back to Dubai at 8.46pm with 127 passengers.

Airport officials and tour operators said these were the first Emirates flights to Calcutta since the outbreak of the war in West Asia. However, several other carriers had yet to resume operations between Calcutta and their hubs in West Asia, they said.

By 11.30pm on Saturday, scores of people had gathered outside the international arrival gates (4A and 4B) of the terminal building. Most of them anxiously awaited relatives and friends on the Emirates flight.

The flight information status display board initially showed that EK0572 was “delayed”. At midnight sharp, it showed “arrived”.

The first set of passengers from the flight emerged from the gates after 12.30am. As they walked out, their friends and family members first waved and then embraced them. A handful of senior citizens lifted their grandchildren and kissed them.

The conflict had left many Calcuttans stranded in West Asia. Their near and dear ones back home also spent sleepless nights, as shown by the raw outburst of emotions at the airport.

Aftab Alam, in his early 60s and a resident of Colootola in central Calcutta, arrived with a large group. He reached Dubai from Canada, where he had visited a relative, on February 27. The group was scheduled to go to Jeddah for Umrah on March 1, but the conflict forced them to scrap the trip. The group spent the next week in Dubai, effectively in lockdown.

“We did some sightseeing on February 27 and 28. But from March 1 onwards, all of Dubai came to a standstill. We kept getting stay-safe messages on our phones. Sirens were heard, and occasionally, jets were seen patrolling the sky,” said Alam, who was staying at a hotel near the airport.

He said he heard a couple of low-intensity blasts on March 1 and 2. On Saturday morning, after finishing his morning prayers, he heard a deafening blast. “I rushed out of the hotel room’s window and saw thick smoke billowing out. “It seemed some place in the airport was hit. “The smoke was coming out of Terminal 3,” Alam said.

He thanked the airline and the Dubai administration for his safe return. “In the morning, the return seemed unlikely. Fortunately, the situation improved. The Dubai administration was extremely helpful,” he added.

The group’s tickets were cancelled three times before they could board the flight on Saturday. Alam’s daughter, son-in-law and grandson had come to the airport, along with several others.

In Dubai, several explosions were heard on Saturday morning. The government said it had activated air defences.

An alleged drone attack near the main terminal of Dubai International Airport temporarily suspended operations on Saturday morning. Anxiety levels went up in Dubai and in Calcutta.

Ishani Banerjee, her children and mother-in-law also came from Dubai. Ishani’s father was waiting outside the arrival gates. As soon as he saw his grandchildren — a toddler and an eight-year-old boy — he rushed towards them.

“I was really anxious. It is such a great relief to see them,” said her father.

Ashish Banerjee was waiting for his son and daughter-in-law, who had been stranded in Dubai since March 2.

He was waiting with Tanay Paul, his co-parent-in-law. “It was a huge relief to hear that they have boarded the flight from Dubai. But the ultimate happiness is to be able to see them in person,” said Banerjee, a broadband service provider in north Calcutta.

More direct flights

Air India announced on Sunday that it will operate 78 additional flights between March 10 and 18 on the following routes: Delhi-New York (JFK); Delhi-London (Heathrow); Mumbai-London (Heathrow); Delhi-Frankfurt; Delhi-Paris (CDG); Delhi-Amsterdam; Delhi-Zurich; Delhi-Malé; and Delhi-Colombo.

“Together, these flights add 17,660 seats on nine routes in both directions,” the carrier said.