Mumbai: Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport witnessed a sense of relief on Monday night as an Emirates flight from Dubai landed, bringing back passengers who had been stranded due to major air travel disruptions triggered by escalating conflict in the Middle East.
The arrival marked a partial return to normalcy for hundreds of Mumbai-bound travellers affected by widespread flight cancellations over the past few days. Passengers described hours of uncertainty before airlines began restoring limited operations.
Ajay, one of the passengers who landed in Mumbai, said he was originally scheduled to travel from Dubai to the United States. “When the flight did not take off, we initially thought it was a technical issue. After seven to eight hours, we were informed that a war-like situation had broken out,” he said. Ajay added that Emirates arranged buses and shifted stranded passengers to hotels in Dubai. “As soon as we learnt that a flight to Mumbai would operate, we contacted the airline and returned. The situation there is slowly coming under control,” he said.
Flight Operations Resume Partially In Dubai
While operations remain limited, authorities confirmed that more international flights are expected to resume in phases, depending on regional security assessments. The Mumbai arrival came as Dubai Airports confirmed a partial resumption of operations from the evening of March 2. A small number of flights have been permitted to operate from Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport, allowing airlines like Emirates to gradually restore connectivity with key destinations, including Mumbai.
In a parallel development, the first flight from Abu Dhabi also landed at Kempegowda International Airport late Monday night. A passenger on that flight praised Etihad Airways for arranging hotel stays and assistance after cancellations. Speaking to ANI, the traveller said stranded passengers were taken care of until operations resumed. Meanwhile, another Emirates flight from Dubai to Bengaluru departed on Monday night as authorities in the UAE allowed limited flight movements to restart.
The air travel disruption followed US and Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28, after which Tehran launched retaliatory drone and missile attacks across the region. The escalation led to airspace restrictions and the suspension of several international routes, leaving thousands of Indian passengers stranded, particularly in Gulf transit hubs.
With flights now slowly resuming, Mumbai is expected to see a steady flow of returning passengers over the coming days. For many travellers and their families in the city, Monday’s landing offered the first clear sign that the crisis-induced travel chaos is beginning to ease.
