Indian expats in UAE struggle to book alternative tickets after flight cancellations

Dubai - Airport authorities have said the main runway is likely to remain closed for flight operations until July 4.

The travel plans of several Indian expats in the UAE continue to be in limbo as incessant rains continued plummeting Mumbai for the fourth day straight. Over 200 flights were cancelled and 370 delayed after a SpiceJet flight overshot the runway while landing at the Mumbai airport amid heavy rainfall on Monday (July 1).
Airport authorities have said the main runway is likely to remain closed for flight operations until July 4, as it will take more time to remove the aircraft. With more rain forecast for the city, UAE residents, whose flights were cancelled, are struggling to make alternative arrangements.
Rehan Sheikh, a resident, had booked an Air India Express flight to Mangalore via Mumbai on July 2. However, the family is still in Dubai after the flights to Mumbai were affected. After negotiating with the airline, he has been given tickets on a flight going directly to Mangalore.
"I was at the airport with my wife and kids on July 2 and waited at the check-in counter for hours. Given the backlog at the Mumbai airport, they did not check us in and we had to return home. We finally got a call from the airline at 5pm on July 2 to check in by 7pm. We live in Sharjah and there was no way we would have been able to get to the airport on time."
The airline then booked the family on a direct flight to Mangalore that departs today.
Another long-term Dubai resident, Nitin Fegade, said his 19-year-old nephew, Bhagyesh Mahajan, suffered an "excruciating wait" of over 24 hours at the Mumbai airport. "His flight (AI911) was supposed to start at 11.30pm on July 1 from Mumbai to Dubai and he was to reach at 1.30am. The boarding started at 9.30pm. From 9.30pm to 6am, they kept all the passengers inside the aircraft. For nine long hours, he was stuck in there.
"Finally, at 6am, he exited the aircraft and AI's ground staff informed us that the next available flight was on July 2 at 11.30pm. He slept inside the airport and was there for the whole day on July 3 since exiting the airport was out of the question due to the flooding."
Mahajan is now back home safe and sound.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com
 

• UAE