West Asia crisis: 42 flights cancelled at Bengaluru airport

With 21 arrivals and departures each cancelled, flights to Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Dubai and Doha were majorly impacted, an airport representative said.

Bengaluru: A total of 42 flights were cancelled at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru on Tuesday, due to airspace restrictions in West Asia.

Flights flights to Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Dubai and Doha were majorly impacted as 21 arrivals and departures each were cancelled.

There were no flights scheduled until midnight to the impacted sectors, shared an airport representative.

Despite the prevalent airspace restrictions, hopeful passengers trickled into the airport in an attempt to return to the Gulf for personal or private reasons.

A family of five drove all the way from Salem to drop off a single family member.

“I was originally supposed to leave for Dubai on Sunday. I had booked my flight from Coimbatore, but that got cancelled. I finally found an Emirates flight from Bengaluru and booked the tickets, but my family was still unsure, so they all came to drop me off in case the flight got cancelled again,” said Shaziya, who was heading back home to her husband after spending a month in India. Her flight was eventually cancelled.

Another family of four, also meant to take the same flight to Dubai, dejectedly returned home after receiving the cancellation message. Passengers were miffed about not receiving cancellation messages in advance.

To assist passengers and provide on-ground support, KIA has set up a helpdesk at the kerbside of Terminal 2. Bangalore International Airport Limited, the airport operator, has set up chairs, drinking water, charging stations, sanitary napkins, wheelchairs, and medical assistance at the help desk.

On Monday night and Tuesday early morning, Etihad and Emirates airlines began limited operations to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, respectively, with restrictions.

However, a flight to Dubai scheduled for 4.30 am, carrying only UAE nationals and resident permit holders, returned due to airspace closure, an airport representative informed. It was later postponed to depart at 6.40 pm, and again postponed to 7.35 pm. The airport operator refused to provide further details about the flight’s operations.