Itinerary off gear, Calcuttans stranded in London as Emirates suspends Dubai flights
Telegraph | 1 March 2026
Many Calcuttans scheduled to fly home on Saturday night or Sunday morning faced uncertainty after large parts of West Asian airspace were closed following US and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation.
Abesh Chandra Sinha Choudhury was one such traveller, stranded in London after his flight from Heathrow to Dubai on Saturday night was cancelled.
Sinha Choudhury, a lawyer, had arrived in London on February 27 and was initially scheduled to return on March 5. He brought forward his return, booking an Emirates flight in business class for an additional ₹70,000, according to his travel agent.
He was due to take a connecting flight from Dubai to Calcutta on Sunday evening.
“Now I am hearing that the flight (Heathrow-Dubai) has been cancelled. I have checked out of my hotel too,” Sinha Choudhury told Metro from London on Saturday evening, Calcutta time. “I have no idea what I am going to do.”
Emirates announced a temporary suspension of all its flights until 11pm GMT (4.30am IST), citing multiple regional airspace closures.
“Due to multiple regional airspace closures, Emirates has temporarily suspended all operations to and from Dubai,” the airline said.
In a customer advisory, Emirates urged travellers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
“Customers impacted by flight cancellations must contact their travel agency for rebooking. If booked directly with Emirates, please contact us... Ensure contact details are correct by visiting ‘Manage Your Booking’ to receive updates. We are actively monitoring the situation and engaging with relevant authorities. We apologise... for any inconvenience... The safety and security of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority,” the airline said.
Sinha Choudhury’s travel agent said efforts were underway to rebook him on the next available flight. “If the Middle East (West Asia) airspace doesn’t open by Saturday, we’ll try to book a flight through other airlines and bring him back via Delhi or Mumbai,” the agent said.