Gujarat tourists return home after being stranded in UAE conflict zone

AHmedabad: A flight of steps of steps carrying 170 passengers from Dubai landed at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International drome in Ahmedabad at around 2.30 am on th, as flight trading operations from the UAE gradually resumed following days of disruption triggered by the escalating conflict in West Asia.Airspace closures across the region have forced widespread flight cancellations after tensions between the US, Israel and Iran escalated in recent days.Separately, around 200 Indian tourists who were stranded in the UAE returned to their homes in Gujarat on Thursday, after flights landed in Mumbai and Kochi on Wednesday night. The group, mostly from Kheda, Anand, Nadiad and Ahmedabad, had gone on a five-day tour of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which included a visit to the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi.The tourists had departed in batches of 50 from February 25 onward. When airspace closures triggered widespread flight cancellations across the region, they found themselves unable to return as scheduled.Rajendra Patel, a resident of Nadiad who travelled with three family members and around 50 others from Nadiad district, said the group was staying at a hotel on the outskirts of Dubai when the situation deteriorated." We could hear the explosions but could not see anything. It was frightening but we were on the outskirts and were safe," he said. His group flew out of Sharjah at around 4.30 pm and reached Mumbai the same night, before returning to Nadiad on Thursday via buses.Kaushal Dhamecha, CEO of the tour operator that organised the trip, said the return was coordinated with authorities at the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi, the Consulate General of India in the UAE, and local Dubai authorities. He said Air Arabia operated the return flights, with support from hotel staff in Dubai, local transport teams and ground operators.Indian diplomatic missions across the Gulf have been on alert since the disruptions began. The Indian embassy in Kuwait said it was in contact with stranded Indian nationals and was coordinating with local authorities."Embassy remains fully engaged in assisting Indian passengers stranded in Kuwait due to the temporary shutdown of airspace. Embassy officials are in regular contact with the stranded passengers, and are closely liaising with Kuwaiti authorities, managements of the respective hotels and airlines," it said in a post on X. Similar efforts were underway at Indian missions in the UAE.