Happy reunions as stranded Gulf travellers return home to Mumbai

Mumbai: A three-day wait for homecoming that seemed interminable ended in relief for hundreds of Mumbaikars who were stranded in the strife-torn Middle East since Feb 28. They began landing in the city Tuesday as airlines like Emirates, Etihad, Air India and IndiGo resumed select flights to India.Five repatriation flights are scheduled to arrive at Mumbai airport Wednesday. These include Royal Jordanian flight RJ190 from Amman, expected at 1.40 am; Emirates flight EK500 from Dubai at 2.15 am; SpiceJet flight SG9031 from Fujairah at 4.00 am; Gulf Air flight GF2064 from Dammam at 5.50 am; and SpiceJet flight SG9014 from Fujairah at 6.25 am.
On Tuesday, onlookers at the airport were moved to see the wife of passenger Nirav Modi reunite with her twin babies. She picked them up from their prams and held them close, tears streaming down. Nirav and the infants returned to the city via Muscat.Deputy CM Eknath Shinde announced that two special Dubai-Mumbai flights had been arranged to repatriate 164 stranded passengers from Maharashtra. Shiv Sena functionaries said Shinde had also arranged a chartered flight Tuesday for students and staff of a Pune management institute who were stuck in Dubai.The DCM said stranded residents had requested his party's help and he reassured them over the phone. "Dr Sanjeev Paithankar in Dubai, office bearers of Maharashtra Mandal and Rahul Kanal of Yuva Sena were in touch with the tourists and students there. Arrangements have been made by Shiv Sena to send two special planes and the passengers have left for Mumbai. This includes 164 people from Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Murbad, Shahapur, Ahilyanagar," Shinde said. He added, "I thank PM Narendra Modi for his instant response and consistently assisting Indians during overseas emergencies."Meanwhile, several Dubai returnees chose to travel six hours to neighbouring Oman, which remains islanded from the war, from where they took flights to Mumbai. Among them was South Mumbai-based builder Harshil Chordia, who had pleaded for evacuation from Dubai on social media two days ago, and his acquaintance Parthh Mehta.One evacuee Vishakha said, "It was a tense time, but we are here now, so we are happy. Our company group of 580 people had travelled there who are all coming back gradually."Malabar Hill businessman Parag Jhaveri travelled by road from Dubai to Oman before boarding a flight to Mumbai on Tuesday, shelling out Rs 1.6 lakh for the one-way journey. "I did not wish to linger in Dubai as my parents, wife and son back home were anxious," he said. Jhaveri was flying back from Africa and landed in Dubai on Feb 27. ‘Three flights I booked got cancelled. I decided to travel to Oman instead." He said an economy class seat from Oman cost Rs 75,000, while a cab ride within Oman was another Rs 55,000, adding to expenses. "Normally I would have purchased a business class return ticket in the same cost." A woman passenger rushed to take the first flight out of Abu Dhabi when she received word at her hotel that UAE was set to resume flights.Over in Dubai, a restaurant was providing free meals to stranded Indians, BJP MLA Mihir Kotecha posted online. At Mumbai airport, airlines cancelled 107 flights on Tuesday. But Indian carriers began curtailed operations to the Middle East. IndiGo operated four flights to Jeddah and one to Muscat. It announced plans to operate more flights from Wednesday to Muscat, Jeddah, Madinah and Athens, making it a total of 13 return flights. Repatriation flights to the UAE will depend on the local situation, IndiGo said. Air India operated a repatriation flight from Dubai to Delhi.Meanwhile, Thane district administration has set up a special cell to assist families.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Holi wishes, messages and quotes !