Only 11 of 180 passengers take flight to Middle East

Time of India

7 hours ago

Kolkata: Only 11 out of 180 passengers booked on a Doha-bound Qatar Airways flight flew out of Kolkata airport on Tuesday as most of them were apprehensive about their onward journey after the incoming flight from Doha was delayed by several hours.
The delay was caused by a 10-hour airspace closure between Monday and Tuesday when Iranian missiles attacked a US airbase near Doha.
Even as the airspace reopened and flight movement resumed amid ceasefire talks, there was chaos throughout the day. Multiple flights heading to the Middle East were delayed or diverted. "Only passengers who were travelling directly to Doha and didn't have any connecting flights to catch took the plane.
The rest either rescheduled or accepted refunds since their connecting flight schedules have gone haywire," said a senior official at Kolkata airport.
On Monday evening, Iran launched missile attacks on US military bases in Qatar and Iraq, retaliating for the US bombing of its nuclear sites. This prompted Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait to close their airspace. While Dubai airports' operations resumed after a brief suspension and Kuwait and Bahrain reopened their airspace late on Monday, Qatar airport began operations after a 10-hour gap.
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Among those affected were hundreds of passengers on board Qatar Airways flight QR 540, connecting Doha and Kolkata, who were stuck in Doha facing an 11-hour long delay and confusion at both ends. The flight, originally scheduled to depart Doha at 6:45 pm (local time) on Monday, finally took off around 5:30 am on Tuesday. It landed in Kolkata around 1 pm.
Passengers recounted harrowing experiences. Advocate Debabrata Roy, who was flying back from Sweden via Doha with his wife, said: "We were already seated in the aircraft when the airline asked us to deplane.
No one told us what was happening. Later, we heard about the airstrike on Qatar. It was extremely distressing."
Tapas Munia, a chef from Midnapore employed at a Qatar hotel, said he was lucky to have left the hotel, taking the plane back home. "I later heard bombs had fallen not far from our hotel. After the deplaning, I thought I might not be able to return home. Now that I'm back, I feel like I've escaped something dangerous."
At the Kolkata airport, emotional scenes unfolded outside the international arrivals gate. Among those waiting was an elderly woman holding a bouquet of flowers for her daughter and grandson. As soon as they emerged from the terminal, she hugged the child tightly and broke down.
At present, there is only one direct flight to Doha from Kolkata, which is operated by Qatar Airways. For Dubai, there are 25 flights a week operated by Emirates, Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, and Etihad.
The airlines confirmed that the airspace is now back open but there will be run-on effects. "Although the airlines have started operating normal flights, passengers are still apprehensive about taking long-haul flights. This will continue for the next few days till normalcy is restored," said Anil Punjabi of the Travel Agents Federation of India.
Airport officials said they are in touch with Qatar Airways and civil aviation authorities for updates and contingency plans but admitted that the situation remains fluid.