Air India Express crash: Pending fines save two UAE expats who were ready to board plane

Dubai - Afsal PK was supposed to be on the flight that crash-landed on Friday but he was stopped at the immigration counter.

Two expats, who were supposed to be on the Air India Express flight that crash-landed on Friday, still couldn't believe their luck. They were ready to board the plane but were stopped at the immigration counter because of pending fines. 
Afsal PK, a 26-year-old Abu Dhabi resident, even scrambled to borrow  Dh500 so he could settle his Dh1,000 fine, but he missed the flight by 10 minutes. Another expat, T. Noufal, was also set to fly home when he learnt that he couldn't board the plane also because of outstanding penalties. What they first thought was a 'disheartening' day for them turned out to be their luckiest.
Eighteen people including two crew members lost their lives after the AIE IX1344 flight from Dubai overshot the runway while landing at the Calicut International Airport on Friday. Among the victims were four children aged between one and five years.
An employee at a dates market in Abu Dhabi, Afsal recalled: "I was excited to go home as my marriage date was getting fixed. I reached the Dubai airport well in advance, checked in my baggage, and even got my boarding pass. However, since my visa had expired and I couldn't renew it because of the Covid issue.
"I was told to pay a fine of Dh1,000 before boarding the flight. I had just Dh500 on me so I called up a friend who stays near the airport to lend me Dh500."
His friend reached the airport at 1.35pm and gave him the money, but the ground staff said the boarding gates were closed at 1.25pm. "I pleaded, but to no avail. I felt very disheartened and called up my mother in my home town Kannur. She comforted me and said it was okay and that I can rebook for next week." 
The other expat, T. Noufal, didn't know what to do when an officer told him that he wouldn't be able to go home because of his fines. 
"I felt very bad. After failing to convince the officer, I returned from the airport and called up a relative to tell him that I was not coming," said Noufal, who had lost his job to Covid-19. 
Tragedy shocked expats
Hours after they left the airport feeling down, Afsal and T. Noufal were shocked upon learning that the plane they were supposed to board crash-landed and killed over a dozen. 
Afsal recalled: "At around 7pm, a friend called me and told me about the plane crash. He said he was worried as I was to be on the same flight. When I switched on the TV, I was shocked to see the horrific footage of the flight that crashed."
"I cannot thank God enough for saving me from this horror. It was sheer luck and my mother's prayers that saved me from this tragedy. I am now looking to go back by next week."
Noufal had mixed emotions but, more than anything, he was thankful to be alive. "I was both sad and happy. Sad because of the tragedy and happy because I was not on the ill-fated aircraft. I couldn't keep track of all the thoughts that went through my mind at that time," he said. 
He also recalled that when he was at the airport, relatives of two women had asked him to guide them throughout the trip until they meet their family at the Kozhikode airport.
"One was an elderly woman. I have been told that she suffered minor injuries and will be discharged from hospital later in the day. Another was a pregnant woman travelling with her young child. I am yet to hear anything about them," Noufal said. The expat added that he isn't planning to fly home anytime soon, as his office called him up and asked him to rejoin. 
(With inputs from IANS)
saman@khaleejtimes.com

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