Bengaluru airport: Foreigners stranded as Mideast flights cancelled

Foreign nationals, including German and Swiss citizens, are stranded at Bengaluru airport as flights to the Middle East are cancelled due to the West Asian conflict. Passengers report a lack of information and extremely high prices for alternative flights.

Several foreign nationals were stranded at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on Tuesday as flights to the Middle East continued to be cancelled due to the ongoing West Asian conflict, with passengers complaining about lack of information and costly ticket prices for alternative flights.

German National Recounts Ordeal

A German national who is stuck at the airport said her flight from Bengaluru to Dubai and then to Dusseldorf, Germany, was cancelled because of the ongoing conflict. "In the morning, we had a flight at 10:25 am from here to Dubai, and then from Dubai to Dusseldorf, Germany, but it was cancelled because of the war. We've been trying since yesterday to get a flight or any information from Emirates, but there's not much at all have nothing," the German national said.

She said she had been in India for three weeks visiting places like Bangalore, Mysore, Madikeri, National Park, Gokarna, Palolem, Panaji and Baga Beach. "It's been a nice holiday until now. There haven't been any difficulties until now. The only difficulty we have now is that we have no information, no flight, and no updates. We saw only one flight yesterday, directly from here to Frankfurt, but it was for 8,000 euros, which is too expensive to pay. We're waiting here on the hotline; it's the only thing we can do," she added.

Swiss Traveller Faces Similar Plight

A Swiss national identified as Sirius said he is stuck at Bangalore airport while traveling to Geneva via Abu Dhabi after his flight got cancelled. "I'm stuck at Bangalore airport. I'm going to Geneva, and I was supposed to first go to Abu Dhabi. My flight got cancelled, and now we don't have any information. It's a bit cloudy. They (flight administration) just said it was supposed to be rescheduled at first, but then it was purely cancelled. They were apologizing but not giving me any real solutions," Sirius said.

He added that he is waiting for his travel agency to find solutions or provide a refund, noting that booking alternative tickets is difficult as they are really expensive due to all the flights being cancelled. "Right now, I'm just waiting for my travel agency to get in touch with me to find solutions or a refund. And it's also difficult because if I want to get a refund and book another ticket, they are really expensive due to all the flights being cancelled," he said.

Wider Impact on Air Travel

The flight disruptions continue to affect thousands of passengers across India as the West Asia crisis escalates, with airlines suspending operations and alternative flights commanding premium prices.

Meanwhile, a total of 107 air traffic movements (ATMs) were cancelled at Mumbai Airport as well, on March 3, including 54 arrivals and 53 departures. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)