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UP travel industry hit hard, war grounds 20K flight bookings
“If the war doesn’t stop, the travel industry is set to lose business of around ₹300 crore in March itself,” says chairperson of Travel Agents Association of India
LUCKNOW The escalating conflict, involving US-Israel strikes on Iran, has triggered widespread disruption to travel plans in Uttar Pradesh, with more than 20,000 flight bookings for March cancelled from airports in Lucknow and Varanasi. The cancellations come amid rising tensions and airspace restrictions linked to the conflict, leaving thousands of passengers in limbo.
Travel operators confirmed that flights to and from key Gulf and other destinations have been severely affected, causing panic among families awaiting the return of relatives working or conducting business abroad.
Bookings to Baku, Istanbul, Georgia, Armenia and Europe have also been affected as the route is almost blocked, leaving only one route through Japan, open for travel to Europe and USA. All the airlines are booking their slots on these routes and it is now affecting the cost as rates of tickets may skyrocket in the days to come. If the war doesn’t stop, the travel industry is set to lose business of around ₹300 crore in March itself, said Hina Z Shiraz, chairperson of Travel Agents Association of India.
More than 5,000 UP residents travel from and to Gulf and countries like Azerbaijan, Turkey, Europe, USA daily on different flights booked by travel agencies in the state but with the blockage of flights business is going to suffer.
“Things are under control in Dubai now... Indians here are in touch with each other and the local government has made stay of stranded passengers free along with food. Private companies have also opened their purse to help stranded passengers,” said Syed Farhan Wasti, organiser of Dubai Mushaira, on phone.
Among those affected was Hemant Kumar, a businessman from Lucknow, who had travelled to Dubai for business on February 25. He found himself stranded for a day as the situation worsened and flights were cancelled from Dubai. “There was uncertainty everywhere,” he said. Eventually, he managed to travel to Oman by road, from where he boarded a flight to Delhi before finally reaching Lucknow safely on Monday.
Syed Kashif Rizvi, 35, originally from Lucknow, is currently in Qom near Tehran, Iran. Speaking over the phone, he said he and his family are safe for now but fear the situation could deteriorate rapidly. “The war is intensifying. For now, we are staying put. But if things go out of control, we may have no option but to leave despite heavy bombing,” he said.
His sister Taskeen Naqvi in Lucknow was worried about his safety. She said, “Our family is worried about Kashif who is getting higher education in the mosque of Qom.”
Urdu poet Afroz Alam, who is working in Kuwait., said: “The effect of war can be felt here. After cancellation of flights, we are staying at our homes expecting safety for all.”
