Forty-one international flights between Nepal and Middle Eastern countries were affected over two days, Saturday and Sunday, leaving around 6,800 passengers stranded on both sides.
Following the US and Israel's airstrikes on Iran, nine countries have imposed restrictions on flights from their airspace, affecting 41 international flights between Nepal and Middle Eastern countries over the past two days, Saturday and Sunday. About 6,800 passengers have been stranded in both directions.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, 18 flights scheduled to depart from Tribhuvan International Airport on Saturday were cancelled. 3,000 passengers were affected. On Sunday, 23 flights were affected, affecting at least 3,800 passengers, the authority said. On March 1 (Sunday), the airspace restrictions were further tightened, affecting most Middle Eastern countries, and 23 flights were affected until Sunday evening, said Gyanendra Bhul, deputy spokesperson of the authority.
Six flights on Qatar Airways' Doha route have been cancelled. 1,200 passengers have been affected by these flights. Passengers who had returned from various countries to Nepal since Saturday afternoon have been stranded at the airport at the Doha airport. 500 passengers on four Air Arabia flights, 280 passengers on two Air Arabia Abu Dhabi flights, and 250 passengers on two Jazeera Airways flights were also unable to reach their destinations due to the cancellation of flights. 300 passengers on two Himalaya Airlines flights to Dubai and Doha, and 200 passengers on one Nepal Airlines flight to Dubai were also affected.
Airline employees said that there was a rush of passengers and confusion at Tribhuvan International Airport for two days. International flights related to countries including Nepal, India, Qatar, and the UAE have been widely affected due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and airspace restrictions.
Civil aviation authorities said that they are continuously monitoring the situation and are coordinating with the airlines. Airlines and airport officials have urged passengers to ensure the status of their flights before leaving for the airport. According to Dubai-based Gulf News, India-UAE flights have also been widely affected. Indian airlines have further extended the period of suspension of flight services. Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, Aqasa Air, SpiceJet have announced free rescheduling or full refunds for affected passengers.
‘Passengers travelling between India and the UAE are facing continuous disruptions and schedules are subject to change at short notice,’ the news said, urging passengers to regularly check official sources and relevant airlines for updated information.
The ongoing US-Israeli attacks in the Middle East and the subsequent retaliation have made regional air routes unstable. This has directly affected a large number of Nepali citizens travelling from Nepal to the Gulf countries for employment, study and family reasons. Currently, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Bahrain have banned flights from all airports and airlines in their countries.
