Flyers struggle to return to Bengaluru due to repeated cancellations

BENGALURU: Passengers trying to return to Bengaluru from the Gulf countries are facing days of uncertainty, with repeated flight cancellations and shifting schedules leaving many stranded.

Travellers said even after airlines issued fresh tickets following earlier cancellations, several flights were cancelled again. "We were given another ticket after our first flight was cancelled, but that also got cancelled at the last minute. Every day we are told to wait for updates. There is absolutely no clarity on when we can return to Bengaluru," said Aravind Menon, a passenger stranded in Dubai.


Shilpa Krishnamurthy, an IT employee in Bengaluru, said she is looking for alternative routes like many others to get back home to her family from Dubai. "We are looking at options of travel via Doha, Muscat, or Kuwait City because direct flights are getting cancelled again and again. I'm tired of staying in a hotel room."

Passengers departing from Bengaluru also expressed concern over flights operating with heavily restricted passenger loads. "Many of us are worried about travelling right now because the situation keeps changing and we don't know if flights will operate normally. Some flights are operating with only about 50 passengers from Bengaluru to Dubai," said Mohammed Farooq, who planned to travel for business.

Operations at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) continued to be affected on Thursday, with 30 flights cancelled (14 arrivals and 16 departures). Despite the disruptions, some services continued to operate with adjustments. Emirates flight EK566 from Dubai arrived in Bengaluru with 358 passengers at 6.35pm, before departing at 8.20pm with 203 passengers as EK567.