What was meant to be a routine business trip from Delhi to New York turned into a day of uncertainty for an Indian entrepreneur after escalating tensions in the Middle East disrupted air travel across the Gulf.
Sanjay Varnwal, CEO and co-founder of Spyne, found himself stranded in Kuwait after his connecting flight to New York was forced to turn back mid-air due to sudden airspace closures amid the US-Iran conflict.
In a detailed post on LinkedIn, Varnwal wrote that he had taken a 3am flight from Delhi to Kuwait and was waiting to board his 9am flight to JFK. “Everything felt completely normal when our flight took off from Kuwait at 8:45 AM on February 28th. I was just settling in, reading a book, totally unknown to what’s happening outside,” he wrote.
The entrepreneur said that around 45 minutes into the flight, the pilot announced that Iraqi airspace had suddenly closed and the aircraft would have to return to Kuwait. “Was bit annoying at first… did not realise the mess I was getting into,” he wrote, adding that he initially assumed there was a technical issue and expected to land in New York only a few hours late.
However, after landing back in Kuwait, confusion prevailed at the airport. According to Varnwal, airline staff had little information about when flights would resume, even as news reports began flashing updates about escalating conflict in the region.
Varnwal said that Kuwait Airways later issued a revised departure time of 1:30 pm and reissued boarding passes. But hours passed without any movement. “Around 3pm, airline staff said that the planes are grounded and there is no way that flights can operate now. This is when the seriousness of the situation hit me hard. I realised - shit, I am stranded here now,” he wrote.
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‘Pure chaos’
The entrepreneur said that while local passengers returned home, transit travellers remained at the airport. Varnwal estimated that close to 1,000 people were stranded.
By 5 pm, the airline informed passengers that they would be moved to hotels. “It was pure chaos - over a thousand people, a fleet of buses, and police everywhere trying to keep the peace,” he said, praising the authorities for managing the situation.
By 10 pm, Varnwal said that the passengers had been checked into 3-4 hotels across the city.
“And this is how one of the most interesting days of my life ended. Now stuck here, waiting for the airspace to open, with war outside!” he wrote, thanking friends and the Indian Embassy for their support.
(Also Read: Qatar business traveller stranded in Gujarat as Middle East escalation halts flights: ‘I need to fly back’)
Notably, Varnwal’s experience comes as tens of thousands of travellers worldwide face disruptions due to widespread flight cancellations and airspace closures amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. With rerouted flights and grounded aircraft, several passengers have reported being stranded at transit hubs across the Gulf.