War impact on flights: Kolkata-bound flyers from US, Europe stuck in Gulf

KOLKATA: Flyers from Kolkata returning to the city from the US and Europe were stranded in the Gulf and Europe after vast airspace in the Middle East was shut to traffic following strikes on Iran by the US and Israel.

Hundreds of passengers, who were scheduled to travel from Kolkata to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and onwards on Saturday were held up in the city. All west-bound flights were cancelled.


Air traffic control officials in Kolkata said the scale of disruption was such that scores of flights over the Arabian Sea sought diversions that left controllers at Mumbai airport overwhelmed.

"All the flights that head towards west from Mumbai pass through Muscat. From there, they either fly toward Jeddah or Emirates. Muscat is not accepting any flight that will go onto Emirates. Similarly, they are not accepting any flights that are landing at Muscat airport.

Also, Mumbai and Karachi airports are not accepting flights as well. We are struggling to find alternative airports for a dozen flights over the Arabian Sea," the general manager of air traffic management in Mumbai said.

A Qatar Airways aircraft travelling from Hong Kong to Doha was diverted to Kolkata at 5.15 pm as the destination airport remained shut.

From India, the first diversion was an Air India flight from Delhi to Tel Aviv. The carrier later announced the suspension of all flights to the Middle East. Travel agents in Kolkata scrambled to reroute flyers travelling to the US via Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. About 70% of the flyers travelling to the US from Kolkata use hubs in the Gulf. The agents also urged customers flying to Europe to postpone their travel. Hundreds of flights were cancelled and thousands of flyers were held up at various airports for at least 48 hours last year after a similar situation amid Israel-Iran conflict. In Kolkata, travel agents scurried to make alternative bookings. They hurried to make the arrangements before fares escalated. In 2025, the conflict in the Gulf led to an increase of fare by 20%.

"A majority of people travelling from Kolkata to Europe or the US use Gulf carriers in the absence of direct flights from the city. Now that a war has erupted, travel agents in Kolkata are advising travellers to avoid Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha," said Anjani Dhanuka, chairman of the east chapter of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI).

Anil Punjabi, the chairman of the east chapter of the Travel Agents Federation of India, also expressed concern over the situation as the conflict in the Middle East became a protracted one. "If it becomes unsafe to travel through the Gulf, carriers will have to do long detours. That will lead to the consumption of additional fuel by the aircraft, subsequently leading to hike in airfare. Also, the travel time will increase," he pointed out.

Depending on the time taken for the layover, a New York flyer may have to spend 30 to 40 hours for travelling via Singapore. Whereas, the travel time would have been between 21 and 25 hours, while travelling via Dubai.