‘We heard missile over hotel’: 310 travellers from Abu Dhabi land in Delhi amid Gulf crisis, families break down at IGI

NEW DELHI: What was meant to be a dream honeymoon turned into days of anxiety for 27-year-olds Raghav and Varsha Gupta after escalating regional tension disrupted air travel in the Gulf, forcing them to wait for a safe journey home.

The couple had left for Dubai and Abu Dhabi on Feb 22. Within days, they found themselves watching missile interceptions light up the night sky, with plumes of smoke in the distance. "They were at their hotel when they first heard a missile overhead," said Raghav's 60-year-old mother, Niranjana, speaking outside Terminal 3 of IGI Airport on Monday evening.




"Everyone was shaken. The hotel asked guests to move to the lobby for safety, arranged for food for the night, and even provided shelter to those stranded at the airport," she said, recalling that it was a trip they had been eagerly looking forward to.

By Monday morning, the airline had arranged for school buses to ferry passengers to Abu Dhabi airport. When Raghav finally stepped out of the arrival gate in Delhi, clutching his six-month-old niece, the family broke into tears. "The situation there is tense, but authorities seem to have it under control," he said. The couple were among 310 passengers on board the Etihad flight that made it to Delhi.

Twenty-five-year-old Neeraj Rani, a Canada-based law student, was travelling home last Friday with a brief layover in Abu Dhabi. Instead of a short stopover, she found herself stranded at the airport for two days after a missile strike disrupted operations. With tears in her eyes, she embraced her 52-year-old father, Devendra Kumar, upon landing. "People there are scared," she said. Kumar admitted that the uncertainty had left the family in Delhi terrified. The family recalled being glued to the news and monitoring every update.

For some, the decision to come home was immediate. Thirty-year-old Sanjana, who lives in Abu Dhabi, travelled to Delhi with her one-year-old baby after tensions escalated. Describing the atmosphere as terrifying, she said it was the calm demeanour of those around her that offered reassurance. "Seeing my neighbours carry on normally made me feel things were still under control," she said. Her husband has remained in Abu Dhabi for work, and she plans to return once the situation stabilises.

Passengers with layovers in Abu Dhabi said they were shifted to nearby hotels and provided meals and basic amenities after flights were cancelled. Several added that authorities sent regular push notifications during the attacks and that missiles could be seen being intercepted swiftly in the night sky.

Sixty-year-old Nashattra Singh, who lives in Germany, had been travelling from Barcelona to attend a wedding in India, said, "Everyone there is very scared, but they were taking good care of us, so we remained calm." Similarly, Aashna Khurana, a 25-year-old tech professional from Delhi who was headed to Barcelona for a meeting, described constantly hearing missile sounds and seeing smoke. "My friends and colleagues in Dubai and Doha were in constant touch with me, describing the situation," she added.

For the families gathered at the airport, seeing their loved ones walk through the arrival gate was not just a homecoming but a reminder that ev-en after days of fear and uncertainty, they were finally safe. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Holi wishes, messages and quotes !