‘Finally feel safe’: First evacuation flight lands

NEw new new delhi: ace of the number one evacuation flights from the conflict-hit westward Asia landed in Delhi on Monday, bringing over 300 Indians to safety.Etihaad Airlines flight EY 216 from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, landed at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) at 8:30pm on Monday. It was one of the four evacuation flights arranged by Etihad to India, with the other three landing in Mumbai (at 7:40pm), Bengaluru (9.45pm) and Kochi (10:10pm). Several flights by other airlines are also planned for the coming days.At Delhi’s T-3, family and friends were overjoyed to see the passengers exit through the airport gates — with an abundance of tears, flowers, and grins.55-year-old Vinod Sharma said his son had been stuck in Abu Dhabi since Saturday when he stopped there during a layover from Manchester, UK. “We were extremely scared as he had told us that he could hear and see missiles being intercepted above his hotel. We were tracking his flight the entire time and could only be relieved when it entered Indian airspace,” he said.Also Read | Dubai and Abu Dhabi flights: Which UAE air routes are reopening? Updates on Emirates, flydubai and EtihadAs she hugged her daughter, Danishta Perween (50) said the 26-year-old is an Etihaad Crew member, but was still unable to return. “She was scheduled to come on 28 February but could not. She said she could see the airport walls shake due to the missiles. It is also her birthday tomorrow so I am happy she has returned can celebrate it with us.”The passengers themselves said they could not be more relievedShashi Parma (52) wiped her tears as she said, I am beyond relived to be in Delhi with my children, and feel safe now for the first time in two days.”Rahul Kumar (42) said the experience had been extremely traumatising for him and his family. “We saw intercepting missiles in the sky multiple times. We could also feel debris from the same falling on our hotel.”Abu Dhabi International Airport was among sites damaged in the barrage of drones and missiles sent by Iran this weekend in retaliation to strikes by US and Israel. The incident resulted in one death and several injuries. As a result of escalating tensions in West Asia, flight operations at IGIA were impacted for a third consecutive day on Monday, At least 87 international flights were cancelled, and over 200 flights, both domestic and international, delayed amid airspace restrictions in the region.Still, the situation has slightly improved since Sunday, when at least 104 flights were cancelled and over 400 delayed.At IGIA, crowds were still visible at airline ticketing areas, as passengers tried to reschedule cancelled flights or waited for clarity from airline representatives. Others were booking hotels for a now-extended stay in Delhi.An airport official said temporary visas had been issued to some international passengers to allow them to exit the terminal. Expressing hope that operations were stabilising, the official said more flights were able to fly to Europe and beyond on Monday as compared to Sunday. “This has led to some improvement on the ground. Airlines are also informing passengers in advance, so they are not arriving at the airport,” the official said, confirming that among the 87 cancellations, there were 37 departures and 50 arrivals.Data from flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 also showed that till 4pm on Monday over 200 flights had been delayed, which included nearly 175 departures. The average delay time stood at 12 minutes, as compared to around 25 minutes on Sunday.“Due to the ongoing political developments in the Middle-east, westbound International flights may face delays or schedule adjustments,” Delhi airport said in a post on X.