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Qatar business traveller stranded in Gujarat as Middle East escalation halts flights: ‘I need to fly back’
A man who originally came on a six-day business trip to India said he needed to return to Qatar, where his family lives.
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A Palestinian-origin Qatar resident’s six-day trip to India has turned into an indefinite ordeal as he remains stranded in Gujarat following the massive escalation in the Middle East. His return to Qatar was halted after the US and Israel strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation, leading to the shutdown of Gulf airspaces. Trapped by the sudden escalation, the businessman is desperate to return to his family in Qatar.
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“A stranded passenger says, "I am from Palestine originally, have a residency permit in Qatar. I came here for 6 days, on a business trip on February 22nd. I was supposed to fly back to Qatar, but due to the situation in the Gulf countries and the Middle East, my flight was cancelled and I am stuck in India... My family is in Qatar right now and I need to fly back,” the man told ANI.
Is Middle East airspace still closed?
Though a limited number of flights have been able to leave the United Arab Emirates, thousands of flights have been cancelled across the region, according to flight tracking service Flightradar24. It has affected thousands of passengers.
According to a BBC report on March 2, 79% of global flights to Qatar and 71% of flights to the United Arab Emirates were cancelled. Several flights to Israel and Bahrain were also grounded.
Amid the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, India has also witnessed significant disruption to its international operations.
