I came to Dubai with my husband on 24 February for what was meant to be a short vacation. Instead, we found ourselves watching missile interceptions from our Airbnb balcony and scrambling to figure out how to get home. This vacation has left us anxious, amid the rising tensions in the region, as the military strikes continue.
We were supposed to fly back from Sharjah to Mumbai on 1 March, but we received a notification that our flight had been cancelled as the airspace across the UAE has been shut.
As we were trying to process the flight cancellations, we began noticing unusual activity in the sky. From our balcony on the 19th floor, very close to the Burj Khalifa, we could see what appeared to be missiles being intercepted. Shortly after, our phones began blaring emergency alerts. That’s when "panic" set in.
We went down to the building lobby to understand the situation and saw other residents gathered there, equally anxious and confused. These tensions haunted us, as my husband and I took turns trying to sleep, through the night.
By morning, we heard more explosions and witnessed additional interceptions from our balcony. The situation felt unpredictable and frightening.
Our problems mounted as our accommodation period at the Airbnb ended, escalating safety concerns. My husband and I decided to move to another place within the city, partly because of the location and our budget constraints.
We also tried reaching out to the Indian embassy and were advised to get in touch with the airline regarding further assistance or accommodation.
However, despite repeated attempts, we were unable to connect with Air India, our flight service back to India.
The email we received from the airline offered only two options, which were to either reschedule the booking within the next seven days or opt for a refund. Other than this, there was no other assistance or support offered.
What began as a holiday has now turned into an anxious wait, for a safe way home and for some assurance in an increasingly uncertain situation.
We are hoping to hear from the Indian Embassy and want to be evacuated by it. With no flight operations, panic is mounting among us while we are following the advisory issued by the Indian Embassy.
(The Quint has reached out to Air India Express regarding the current issues raised. Their response is awaited. The story will be updated as and when they respond.)
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