Businessman stuck in Dubai eager to get back home

Bhubaneswar: Debakant Bhuyan, an Odisha-based businessman, who routinely shuttles between East and West Asian markets for deals, expected another tight, familiar transit through Dubai.

Instead, he found himself stranded at Dubai International Airport for nearly 18 hours as the region plunged into turmoil, leaving passengers confused.


Bhuyan arrived with plans to fly back to Odisha, but the situation changed abruptly after reports of a missile attack rippled through the city’s travel network. Flight schedules began to wobble, announcements turned repetitive, and queues thickened. According to him, close to 50,000 passengers crowded the airport. “Anxious like me, many travellers tried to rebook, confirm, or simply understand what was happening. They tried to explore safer options even if they planned to stay back,” he told TOI.

“I was at the airport when everything suddenly felt unstable—people were rushing, counters were crowded, and no one could say clearly when flights would move,” Bhuyan said. “I kept checking for updates, but the status kept changing. It was exhausting,” he added.

As time dragged on, he tried to find a safer, quieter place to wait. He rushed from the airport to a nearby hotel, hoping to rest and regroup, but the uncertainty followed him. “After the missile attack, I didn’t feel like staying in the open areas for long, although I didn’t see the explosion. I went to a hotel near the airport, but even there it was tense, and I still had no confirmed departure,” he said.

With no immediate flight available, Bhuyan finally took shelter at a friend’s home in zone-3, a residential stretch between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. He travelled by car with his friend to the safe zone. “Right now, I have no option but to wait till flights resume from Dubai airport,” he said. “I just want to return to Odisha, but everything depends on when operations become normal again,” he said.