Israel-Iran conflict: UAE travellers shell out thousands for return flights from CIS nations

Dubai: UAE expatriate travellers in Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) nations like Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan are having to spend thousands of dirhams on alternative routes to return home.

Since regional tensions have led to widespread flight cancellations and rerouting, many holidaymakers in these countries were caught off guard, scrambling for expensive last-minute bookings.

Limnaz Musthafa, a Sharjah-based facility management professional, experienced the sudden impact firsthand during his family's first trip to Baku, Azerbaijan. "If I knew this would happen, I would've cancelled their trip," said Musthafa, who has lived in the UAE since 1986. His family of six members’ flight (Air Arabia Abu Dhabi) arrived in Baku on June 12. However, the situation dramatically changed the following day after the Air India crash and the onset of regional conflict, leading to flight closures.

"By the evening, we found that all the flights are closed. How can we go back?" Musthafa recounted, detailing frustrated attempts to reach call centers for rerouting options. By June 15, all their initial flights were cancelled as the situation intensified. His family, including an infant, had to shell out at least Dh6,000 for new tickets with Turkish Airlines, on top of the original Dh3,800. "The fear is there, due to the political situation our safety is compromised," he told Gulf News from Baku, noting how airfares have skyrocketed.

Similarly, Kamarudheen Arakkal, 43, also faced stress when his 25-year-old son, Rayan, a student in Birmingham, was stranded in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Rayan, who traveled for a football camp arrangement, was supposed to return last Friday. "This caught us by surprise," Arakkal said. He managed to secure a flight for his son via Qatar, costing him a hefty $1,000 (approximately Dh3,670), starkly contrasting his original Dh500 return ticket.

In response, UAE travel agents had to find alternative flights out of these countries for their customers. For example, one family returned via Delhi to UAE from Azerbaijan over the weekend. And none of these air tickets come cheap.

Raheesh Babu, COO of Musafir.com, an online travel agency, confirmed that while direct flights to UAE from CIS countries were limited, many tourists are resorting to alternative routes, often via Istanbul or Doha, to avoid affected airspace. Babu also said that the demand for these destinations had surged post-Eid due to cheaper fares, impacting more travellers. “People were caught off-guard,” he added. About 20 of Musafir's passengers must now book alternative routes out of CIS countries.

Afi Ahmad, Chairman of Smart Travels, said that many stranded passengers, particularly UAE tourists, are currently in countries like Armenia and Azerbaijan, with others affected in Iran. He said that thankfully, the volume of people needing to return immediately after Eid was not overwhelmingly high due to a dip in demand, but those affected are certainly facing significant financial burdens. "Unless it is an emergency, people don't want to travel," he added, reflecting the widespread concern among travellers.

Regarding the upcoming summer travel period, travel agents said many ticket holders are now inquiring about travel safety, despite no widespread cancellations for broader destinations. Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at StrategicAero Research, echoed this, stating that while some reluctance to fly is expected, the broader geographic options for travellers might prevent mass cancellations if airlines can still fill planes by rerouting

GCC airlines, in particular, can largely reroute flights heading westwards towards Europe and North America over Egypt and the Mediterranean, and eastward bound flights over Oman to the Arabian Sea. This primarily adds to travel time due to altered flight paths.

Israel and Iran traded heavy bombardments for four days, escalating fears of a wider regional conflict. The escalation began with Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites, triggering missile and drone strikes that killed three in Israel. Israel responded with mass airstrikes, reportedly killing key scientists and generals.