SEPANG: The group of Malaysians who were stranded in Dubai since Feb 28 due to the conflict in Middle East arrived home safely at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1 at 9.40pm via Emirates flight EK342.
It is understood that they are the first group of those stranded in Dubai to successfully return home after being stuck for six days following the closure of regional airspace.
The wave of attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran on Feb 28, as well as Tehran’s retaliatory strikes against targets across the region, forced the closure of a significant portion of Middle Eastern airspace, consequently impacting flights worldwide.
At least eight countries announced the closure of their respective airspaces when the conflict erupted, including Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
One of the those who arrived, Pirativ Rao, 30, said he and his parents joined a holiday tour to Europe on Feb 17 but ended up being stranded in Dubai due to the airspace closure.
“A total of 18 people in the tour group began the journey (to Europe) on Feb 17 and were supposed to return to Malaysia via Dubai on Feb 28, but our flight was cancelled after news of the bombings in Iran spread,” he told Bernama.
He said that they were forced to take shelter in a hotel throughout that period, but expressed gratitude to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government and Emirates airline for providing accommodation and food to the stranded passengers.
However he added, the most distressing experience occurred when the emergency alert system issued a notification regarding potential missile attacks.
“We then received an alert around 1am advising us to stay away from windows and high areas. We panicked and were immediately taken down (by hotel staff) to the ground floor to take cover,” he said.
He stated that they also heard several explosions at night, believed to be from defense systems intercepting missiles.
“We couldn’t sleep all night because of the sound of explosions and the alerts we received. It was a terrifying experience as we had never been through a situation like this before. We feel very grateful to finally return to Malaysia safely,” he said.
Meanwhile, Umrah guide (Mutawif) Shaifuddin Hashim, 63, who was stranded in Jeddah, expressed relief after arriving home safely. He noted that his original flight was scheduled to depart on March 1, but he was informed of the delay as soon as they arrived at the Jeddah airport.
“Alhamdulillah, the accommodation was comfortable and food was provided. We just waited until we were informed that the flight on March 5 was confirmed,” he said.
