Flights to West Asia from Hyderabad Cancelled Again

Hyderabad: Flight cancellations on West Asian routes continued for the sixth consecutive day on Thursday following the escalation of the US–Iran war, leaving hundreds of Indian passengers stranded.

Hyderabad has extensive connectivity with the UAE, particularly through Dubai International Airport, with six to eight flights operating daily under normal conditions. On Thursday, 31 international flights — 16 arrivals and 15 departures — from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport were cancelled.

Some airports in West Asia have allowed special flights, but a full-fledged resumption of air services has not happened. A Hyderabad-based family said they were anxious as a woman, who had travelled to Dubai to visit her husband, a medical practitioner, has been unable to return home to her children.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Goneh Solomon Raj from Musheerabad, one of those stranded in West Asia, said missile attacks and bombing were continuing near Bahrain.

He said a group that had travelled to Bahrain on February 24 was waiting at Bahrain International Airport on February 28 at about 2.30 pm local time when bombing began and airport operations were suspended.

Narrating their ordeal, he said, “The airport is still closed, there is no support from the Gulf airlines or the local government. For the last six days, Telugu associations reached out to us and provided us with food. This situation is bad; the bombing is constantly on. Like us, several Telugu people are stuck in a similar situation.”

“Special flights are operated from the King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. Those who can afford it are using it,” he said.