Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], February 28 : Thiruvananthapuram International Airport witnessed widespread flight cancellations on Saturday as escalating tensions in the Middle East disrupted air connectivity to key Gulf destinations.
Several departures and arrivals scheduled between February 28 and March 1 were called off, affecting hundreds of passengers bound for Doha, Dubai, Dammam and Abu Dhabi.
According to TRV PRO, the cancelled departures on February 28 include Air India Express flights IX573 (TRV-DOH) at 17:15 hrs, IX529 (TRV-DXB) at 18:00 hrs and IX581 (TRV-DMM) at 22:10 hrs. Arrivals cancelled on March 1 include IX574 (DOH-TRV) at 03:50 hrs and IX530 (DXB-TRV) at 03:55 hrs. Emirates service EK522/523 (DXB-TRV-DXB), scheduled to arrive at 03:00 hrs and depart at 04:35 hrs on March 1, has also been cancelled.
Additionally, Etihad Airways cancelled EY262/263 (AUH-TRV-AUH) scheduled at 20:00/21:40 hrs on February 28 and EY264/265 (AUH-TRV-AUH) scheduled at 03:00/04:10 hrs on March 1.
To assist stranded travellers, help-line counters of all airlines operating tonight have been set up outside the International Terminal (T2). Airline staff are present to guide passengers regarding rebooking, refunds and alternative arrangements.
This comes after 13 flights were cancelled from Bengaluru and Kolkata on Saturday, amid the escalating US-Israel conflict with Iran that has disrupted air connectivity to and from the Middle East, severely impacting operations at Kolkata and Bengaluru airports.
At Kolkata airport, four outbound international flights were cancelled without prior notice to several passengers. The affected services included Emirates flight EK 573 to Dubai, Qatar Airways flight QR 541 to Doha, Air Arabia flight 3L 167 to Abu Dhabi, and one Etihad Airways flight EY 221 to Abu Dhabi.
Passengers who arrived at the airport were informed of the cancellations on-site, leadin got distress and inconvenience. Several foreign nationals were also among those affected.
In Bengaluru, nine arrivals from Abu Dhabi, Dammam, Riyadh, Jeddah and Dubai were cancelled at the Kempegowda International Airport. Flights operated by IndiGo, Air India Express and Emirates were among those impacted.
The cancelled flights at Bengaluru airport include, Air India Express flight IX 866 from Abu Dhabi, another Air India Express flight IX 864 from Dammam, IndiGo flight 6E 54 from Riyadh, IndiGo flight 6E 78 from Jeddah, IndiGo flight 6E 1486 from Dubai, IndiGo flight 6E 1409 from Abu Dhabi, IndiGo flight 6E 1302 from Doha, Emirates flight EK 568 from Dubai, and Emirates flight EK 566 from Dubai.
A KIAL spokesperson told ANI that the cancellations were due to airspace restrictions arising from the Iran-US conflict.
Speaking to ANI, a local resident of Kolkata, awaiting the Emirates flight, said no prior message had been received about the cancellation. "We are just standing here. The Emirates staff is inside. They said they would talk after some time... After coming here, we are all standing in a queue. They are not letting us go inside. Some are saying the flight is cancelled, but the system shows it's delayed. That's why we are waiting to see what happens. They haven't told us anything. We'll wait and see for a little while, and then we have to go back," he said.
Another passenger, Moti Sardar from Nadia district, said he was travelling to Israel via Dubai. "The flight that was at 8:25 has been cancelled, and now they are showing 11:30. I don't know if I'll be able to go or not. If I can't reach Israel, my whole life will be ruined," he said, adding that his entry visa is valid from the first of next month. "I request that the government listen to me and send me to Israel somehow. I am a poor man," he appealed.
Kevin Scott, another stranded flyer booked on EK 573, said passengers were being advised to return home and check the airline website. "They are saying the flight to Dubai has been cancelled, but we have not had notification yet, only a delay message. If it leaves and can't land, they may divert to Greece. Nobody from Emirates is coming to talk to people. The website is blocked, even my travel agent can't access the system," he said, adding that he may now have to find accommodation in Kolkata.