Dubai, Abu Dhabi Flights to India Resume, Stranded Passengers Head Home

The mood was one of relief and joy as an air hostess aboard Emirates flight EK568 from Dubai to Bengaluru welcomed passengers with a warm announcement.

"Welcome onboard this flight to Bengaluru. Yes, this is the first flight," she said, setting the tone for what was an emotional moment for many on board.

Sanjeev Mehta, a passenger on the Dubai-Bengaluru Emirates flight, expressed his gratitude and excitement as the aircraft prepared to depart.

"Thanks to the UAE authorities for starting the flights. We just boarded the flight to Bengaluru, India. This is one of the first few flights which have started," he told ANI.

Mehta added that travellers had little time to prepare. "We were given a very short notice to book the tickets but we were able to book some tickets and rush to the airport. As of now, I am excited that I am going back home," he said.

Earlier, Dubai Airports officially confirmed the partial restart of operations. A limited resumption of flights will begin on the evening of March 2, with a small number of flights permitted to operate from Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International (DWC).

However, authorities urged caution. Travellers have been advised not to proceed to DXB or DWC unless they have been contacted directly by their airline with a confirmed departure time.

With flights gradually taking to the skies once again, normalcy is slowly returning to the UAE, and for the thousands of Indians eager to get home, the wait is finally coming to an end.

Following the US-Israel strikes against Iran on February 28, Iran launched a wave of attacks, using drones and missiles targeting multiple Arab countries in the region as a retaliatory action, which resulted in flight cancellations.

- ANI