Expats are seeking alternative routes back to their home countries, but report that ticket prices have surged to as much as Dh1,600 per person.
UAE residents stranded abroad experienced a third day of travel disruption on Monday, as a temporary regional airspace closure grounded flights and left inbound passengers stranded far from home.
At airports from Baku to Almaty, travelers clutched boarding passes, constantly refreshed airline apps, and rushed to rebook hotels and flights, while departure boards repeatedly flashed “cancelled.”
For some, the disruption turned short holidays and work trips into extended periods of uncertainty and long waits. For others, the delays are more serious than an inconvenience—they risk access to life-saving medicines, showing how rapidly regional conflicts can affect individual lives overnight.
Rising costs
At airports worldwide, frustration grew among UAE-bound passengers as they exhausted all options to return home.
Annie Fernandez described a frustrating ordeal as travel chaos extended her trip.
“My airline has offered zero information. On Saturday, we were at Baku airport for over 11 hours. There were no airline representatives available. All airport officials we spoke to said they couldn’t help because they had no information either. We tried calling the airline, emailing, sending messages to AI agents—radio silence,” she said, eventually checking into an Airbnb at 2 a.m.
Fernandez and her husband, eager to return to work, had to extend their stay to Wednesday—five extra days beyond their original plan—after finding direct flights to India fully booked. “Prices have more than doubled,” she said. “What was Dh750 earlier is now over Dh1,600 per person.”
The couple is considering staying in Baku itself. “Thankfully, Airbnb rates here are reasonable, around Dh150 a night. But costs are adding up, so we’re really hoping flights to the UAE resume soon.”
Harpreet Singh, a UAE resident for the past 11 years, is stranded in Almaty, Kazakhstan, after a brief holiday with friends.
“We arrived last Wednesday and were scheduled to fly back to Dubai early Sunday morning. As soon as the airline confirmed the cancellation, we extended our hotel stay. They’re charging Dh300 per couple per night, so expenses are adding up. Food is available, but the real issue is the uncertainty.”
Singh said all flights to Dubai have been canceled until March 8. “We’re exploring other options, but ideally everyone wants to return to the UAE. There are only a few flights from here to India, and tickets have jumped to Dh1,000–1,500. One of my friends has a Portuguese passport, making travel even more complicated. We just want to get back to Dubai, but the situation is unclear.”
Dealing with uncertainty
UAE resident Sam Proctor was in Armenia on a work trip when his return flight was canceled.
“I was supposed to return on Saturday, but now I’m working remotely while waiting for the airspace to reopen. I’m not getting any information because the airlines themselves aren’t sure… They’re just saying ‘suspended until further notice,’” said the British expat.
While Proctor can work remotely with his company covering his stay, others report a heavier emotional toll.
For some, the situation is even more urgent. Fifty-year-old Pooja Joshi, a cancer patient, is stranded in Kinshasa, Congo. She had traveled there for a short visit with her husband, who is on a project in the country.
Though her accommodation is secure, her medication is a concern. “I take 12 medicines a day. It’s tough fighting a disease. I cannot miss a single tablet. My medicines will run out before the last week of March. If I can’t travel back to Dubai, I’ll have to go to my hometown in Delhi, India. That’s my only option.”
Dubai resident Priyadarshee Panigrahi and his wife managed to return from India just hours before the airspace closure.
“We left India on February 27 due to a relative’s passing. My wife and I flew from Jharsuguda (Orissa) to Kolkata, spent a few hours there, and then took an Etihad flight from Kolkata to Abu Dhabi. It landed around 07:00, and we reached Dubai by 08:45,” he said.
Their relief was short-lived as alarming updates soon emerged. “The news started coming in around noon, and shortly after, we heard loud noises of missile interceptions over Dubai. Following that, the airspace over Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports was closed, and all flights were canceled.”
Panigrahi said the timing could not have been more critical. “We escaped by the skin of our teeth. We shudder to think what would have happened if our flights were scheduled later. We would have been stuck in Kolkata, while our nine- and 15-year-old daughters and my 87-year-old father-in-law, who is battling serious health issues, were left alone here in Dubai.”
