<p>Bengaluru: Escalating tensions in West Asia following the outbreak of the Iran-Israel war have sent shockwaves through international travel, leaving hundreds of passengers at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in the lurch.</p>.<p>On Sunday, at least 16 flights predominantly bound for Gulf and European cities were cancelled as several countries moved to shut down their airspaces.</p>.<p>The cancellations, which began early Sunday morning, have affected flights to Dubai, Jeddah, Doha, Abu Dhabi and London.</p>.92 Kannadigas stranded in West Asia, Karnataka activates emergency ops centre.<p>With major carriers like Emirates, Qatar Airways, Air India, Air India Express and IndiGo suspending operations to West Asia, the terminal witnessed scenes of confusion and despair as families, including young children and the elderly, were forced to turn back. </p>.<p><strong>Chaos at counters</strong></p>.<p>At the Air India Express counter, long queues of anxious travellers sought clarity on their bookings. Many had arrived at the airport on Saturday night, only to find their flights grounded indefinitely. </p>.<p>"We were supposed to fly to London via a Gulf connection. We've been here since last night, and now they tell us the airspace is closed. It's a complete deadlock," said a traveller from the UK who was among several foreigners caught in the disruption. </p>.<p>Another passenger, Rashid Khan, who was scheduled to fly to Abu Dhabi, expressed his frustration. </p>.<p>"The authorities say flights won't resume till there's a ceasefire. My office and my life are there, but now I’m told to just take a refund and go home. How does that help my job?" </p>.<p>A help desk has been set up at Terminal 2 to provide real-time updates and 'passenger advisories' to those arriving without prior information. </p>.<p>To mitigate the hardships of those stranded overnight, Air India and other carriers provided food packets and refreshments. Rows of passengers were seen resting on airport seating, holding breakfast bags provided by the airline staff. </p>.<p>An Air India desk staffer clarified the policy for affected flyers. "We are offering full refund or free reschedule for same PNR. However, since this is a security issue and not an airline-specific technical failure, we are not providing hotel accommodation. Passengers will be notified via call centres once airspaces reopen". </p>.<p>With no immediate end to conflict in sight, a spokesperson at the airport suggested that westbound international travel may remain uncertain for the coming week, as airlines continue to reroute or suspend services to ensure passenger safety.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Escalating tensions in West Asia following the outbreak of the Iran-Israel war have sent shockwaves through international travel, leaving hundreds of passengers at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in the lurch.</p>.<p>On Sunday, at least 16 flights predominantly bound for Gulf and European cities were cancelled as several countries moved to shut down their airspaces.</p>.<p>The cancellations, which began early Sunday morning, have affected flights to Dubai, Jeddah, Doha, Abu Dhabi and London.</p>.92 Kannadigas stranded in West Asia, Karnataka activates emergency ops centre.<p>With major carriers like Emirates, Qatar Airways, Air India, Air India Express and IndiGo suspending operations to West Asia, the terminal witnessed scenes of confusion and despair as families, including young children and the elderly, were forced to turn back. </p>.<p><strong>Chaos at counters</strong></p>.<p>At the Air India Express counter, long queues of anxious travellers sought clarity on their bookings. Many had arrived at the airport on Saturday night, only to find their flights grounded indefinitely. </p>.<p>"We were supposed to fly to London via a Gulf connection. We've been here since last night, and now they tell us the airspace is closed. It's a complete deadlock," said a traveller from the UK who was among several foreigners caught in the disruption. </p>.<p>Another passenger, Rashid Khan, who was scheduled to fly to Abu Dhabi, expressed his frustration. </p>.<p>"The authorities say flights won't resume till there's a ceasefire. My office and my life are there, but now I’m told to just take a refund and go home. How does that help my job?" </p>.<p>A help desk has been set up at Terminal 2 to provide real-time updates and 'passenger advisories' to those arriving without prior information. </p>.<p>To mitigate the hardships of those stranded overnight, Air India and other carriers provided food packets and refreshments. Rows of passengers were seen resting on airport seating, holding breakfast bags provided by the airline staff. </p>.<p>An Air India desk staffer clarified the policy for affected flyers. "We are offering full refund or free reschedule for same PNR. However, since this is a security issue and not an airline-specific technical failure, we are not providing hotel accommodation. Passengers will be notified via call centres once airspaces reopen". </p>.<p>With no immediate end to conflict in sight, a spokesperson at the airport suggested that westbound international travel may remain uncertain for the coming week, as airlines continue to reroute or suspend services to ensure passenger safety.</p>