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6 flight bookings, 3 long days: How stranded Indian mum reunited with toddlers in Dubai
The tearful expat expressed deep gratitude to the UAE government for the way passengers were treated and to neighbours who checked in on her children
- PUBLISHED: Wed 4 Mar 2026, 5:19 PM
[Editor's Note: Follow Khaleej Times live blog amid Israeli, US strikes on Iran for the latest regional developments.]
What was meant to be a relaxed weekend escape quickly turned into an agonising three-day wait for a Dubai-based mother of two, as regional tensions triggered airspace closures across the Gulf.
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On February 28, Eshanka Wahi and her husband had taken a 9am flight out of UAE for what was meant to be a short celebratory weekend in Goa for a friend’s 10th wedding anniversary. It was a trip planned months in advance. Her mother had flown in from India a day before to stay with the children. But as fate would have it, the return journey turned into a race against uncertainty.
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The expat, who has called the UAE home for 14 years, was mid-flight when Israel announced it had launched strikes on Iran. "When we landed in Goa, our phones were going crazy because, by then, the UAE had announced a temporary closure of its airspace,” she recalled. “We were very lucky to land safely in India,” she said. But what followed were two agonising days of confusion.
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Desperate plans
“We couldn't stop crying; those two days, we were just trying to figure out how to get back to the UAE,” she said, describing how information kept changing, and rumours swirled.
Recognising that Goa’s smaller airport might limit options, the couple flew to Mumbai, hoping proximity to a larger hub would increase their chances of getting home. By Monday, they were at Mumbai airport, refreshing the Flight Radar website and tracking aircraft movements in Abu Dhabi.
They noticed cargo flights landing. Eshanka juggled multiple bookings — six flights in total — including trips routing through Oman. Such was her desperation that she explored every possible route home, waiting to see which one would go through.
Then came a glimmer of hope: a flight departing from the UAE to Mumbai. “There were only 70 people on that flight,” she said. “We took it on Monday night from Mumbai, back to Abu Dhabi, and landed at 12.40am on Tuesday morning.”
She later realised how narrow that window had been. “Apparently, it was just a very lucky pocket because, shortly afterwards, I think there were more missiles being intercepted in Abu Dhabi, and flights were no longer being cleared for landing.”
Free taxis, emotional reunion
As anxious as the flight home was, what awaited them at the airport deepened her gratitude.
“As soon as we landed at the airport, there were free taxis at the Abu Dhabi airport… taxis to take you home,” she said. The couple had already arranged for a driver, but the government's unexpected gesture struck her. “If you guys want to go to any home in the UAE, taxis are free (is what they said).”
Then came the long-awaited reunion. “It was about 2.30am by the time we got home. Oh, my God! I just hugged my boys (they are two and three years old), took them to my bed, and couldn’t stop cuddling, crying, howling… Yes, my mom, who is 68, was with them for those two days. I also have househelps. But everything seemed so traumatic because I kept thinking my mom is old and my kids are so small. After seeing them, it was happy tears for 12 straight hours.”
She praised the authorities for stepping in quietly during a tense period. “There's so much that they're doing without making noise about it. I was really grateful and happy to be back home safe. The road was safe. Everything was fine.”
Grateful for community
Her appreciation extended beyond government efforts. Back in her community at Arabian Ranches, neighbours had stepped in while she was stranded abroad. “The community that I live in was so good; everyone kept coming and checking up on my mom and my kids,” she said, describing residents from “different religions, different faiths, different nationalities… from Egyptian to British to Lebanese” who checked in whenever there was a loud noise.
Her mother shielded the toddlers from fear. “My mom just kept telling the kids that it's Ramadan fireworks, so there’s nothing to worry about. And they kept playing music and dancing, so my kids were fine.”
Looking back, she admits the trip feels different. “It was a friend’s milestone anniversary but, in hindsight, I wish I hadn’t gone for it,” she said, adding that she does not see herself flying out without her children “in the foreseeable future till they get a little older.”
But if the experience taught her anything, it was clarity. “This feels more like my country now,” she said. “My husband and I just want to be in the UAE.”
