NEW DELHI: An Indian national who returned to India in the first batch of flights from Dubai after air travel resumed has described tense nights, emergency alarms and uncertainty as conflict in the Middle East disrupted travel across the Gulf. Saumya Khandelwal, who had travelled to Dubai for work, said she experienced missile alerts and saw debris during the escalation of hostilities involving Iran, the United States and Israel. “I have seen the missile, and we’ve seen this debris. And then we’ve also seen, we’ve also got alarms in the middle of the night where the government was sending us, the alarms were blaring for us to go to the shelter or to the basement of the hotel and be there,” she said.
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“It was 12:13 in the night and we get a huge alarm on our phone and we had to rush to the basement.”
Khandelwal had arrived in Dubai on Wednesday and was scheduled to return to India on Saturday, but her plans were disrupted when airspace restrictions were imposed amid rising tensions in the region. “I went on Wednesday and I was supposed to come back on Saturday. The afternoon we got to know that the space is closed,” she said. Authorities asked travellers to remain indoors as the situation unfolded. “We were asked by the authorities to be in the hotel and not roam around on the streets. We were in the hotel. Things were very frightening over there. We were very tense.” Despite the uncertainty, she said both local authorities and residents extended support to stranded travellers. “The government was fully cooperative and the people over there are very warm. There was full cooperation from everybody around. They opened their homes for the people over there.” The Indian Embassy in the UAE also stayed in touch with citizens during the crisis. “We’ve had calls, several calls that if you need any help, if we need anything, any sort of help, they were there to help,” she said. “I received about two, three calls from Indian Embassy.” The sounds of sirens and missile alerts created a climate of fear, she said. “I was very scared and I thought that I don’t think so that I’ll be able to move out of UAE for next two, three weeks at least.” Her family in India was also anxious as the situation unfolded. “It was just a four day trip for work and nobody had imagined that something like this was happening in UAE.” Even as tensions remained high, Khandelwal said everyday life in Dubai continued largely without panic. “Monday the city was functioning normally. People were on the roads, they were doing their daily chores. The groceries were open.” “There was no panic at all, which was the best part. The cabs were running smoothly, the hotels were running smoothly.” She also said hotels and airlines avoided raising prices during the crisis. “You will be glad to know that there was no surge pricing. We were staying at the same price at what we were for the last four days.” “Emirates did not increase even a single penny. I’ve come back at a very nominal pricing.” Residents and businesses also stepped forward to help stranded travellers, particularly during the Ramadan period. “People were distributing food there because it’s Ramadan over there. They didn’t want to kill the festivity of the place.” “Some of the companies opened their houses free of cost. Whoever wants to come, they can live and they can peacefully stay till the time flights resume.” When flights finally resumed, Khandelwal managed to secure a seat on an Emirates flight and rushed to the airport. “The moment Emirates started, I just got another 15 minutes back and I had to reach airport by 6:30.” Passengers remained anxious until the aircraft finally took off. “Our flight was stuck on the runway for about 45 minutes and I was just waiting that please God, this flight has to go.” Once airborne, relief swept through the cabin. “Everybody in the flight, they yelled, they were calling family when they landed. It was a very happy atmosphere. I was almost in tears that time.” Khandelwal also dismissed reports suggesting widespread attacks in central Dubai. “I was myself in the central of Dubai. I was in Business Bay, which is one of the most crowded areas.” “There was no bombing around. The bombing was mostly at the airport side and also around the coast side.” Reflecting on the experience, she said calm and faith helped her navigate the tense situation. “My key takeaway will be that please have faith in God because that kept me going.” She also expressed confidence that authorities would continue assisting Indians in the Gulf. “The government is very very cooperative. If you have any problem, you talk to people around and they’re all very calm.” “I’m sure our government relationship with the UAE government is phenomenal and they’re going to get back Indians whoever are stuck.” Despite the ordeal, Khandelwal said she intends to return to the UAE once the situation stabilises. “The moment this is sorted, I’m going to go back to UAE for work.” Go to Source
