Chartered Flight Carrying 186 Indian Expatriates Lands In Kochi Amid Escalating Middle-East Conflict
The chartered flight arranged by Akbar Travels landed at the Cochin airport from Fujairah in the early hours of Wednesday.
Published : March 4, 2026 at 11:53 AM IST
Thiruvananthapuram: Amid the ongoing US-Israel strikes on Iran and the latter country's retaliatory strikes on US assets and infrastructure in the Gulf region, 186 Indian expatriates landed in Kochi in a special chartered flight early Wednesday.
It is understood that the flight arranged by 'Akbar Travels', took off from Fujairah and touched down at the Cochin International Airport at 4:30 am, bringing home the 186 passengers, including children, who were caught in the crossfire of widespread flight cancellations and skyrocketing airfares amid the escalating conflict.
The passengers, relieved to touch down on home soil, shared contrasting accounts of the ground reality in the UAE. Prominent Malayalam actress Swasika, who was among the returnees, sought to downplay the panic, telling reporters that the current situation in the region is not as frightening as perceived from the outside.
However, other passengers painted a grimmer picture of the prevailing anxiety. Yaqoob, a native of Malappuram, noted that while daily life has not completely ground to a halt, a palpable fear is keeping residents indoors. Echoing this sentiment, another passenger, Ganesh, recounted the terrifying sights and sounds of drones being intercepted mid-air. He explained that the loud explosions and the subsequent falling debris pose a severe fire hazard to buildings, fueling widespread panic among the expatriate community.
P.K. Lal, Regional Manager of Akbar Travels, emphasized the agency's commitment to standing with the Indian diaspora during crises. He noted that the urgent charter was arranged considering the immense mental distress and travel bottlenecks faced by the non-resident Indians.
With regular commercial operations heavily disrupted by the Israel-Iran conflict and ticket prices hitting the roof, this intervention served as a crucial lifeline. A similar chartered flight carrying 187 passengers was also operated to Mumbai to assist stranded citizens.
Meanwhile, the ripple effects of the geopolitical crisis continue to paralyze the aviation sector in Kerala. The Calicut International Airport in Karipur witnessed massive disruptions, with as many as 40 international flights—20 departures and 20 arrivals—cancelled.
Major carriers including Air India Express, IndiGo, Emirates, and Flydubai suspended their services to key Middle Eastern destinations like Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Dammam, and Sharjah. The cancellations are primarily a fallout of several countries, including Iran, shutting down their airspace. Amidst the chaos, only Oman's SalamAir and Saudi Arabia's Flynas managed to operate their scheduled flights to Karipur.
Adding to the passenger woes, airlines like Air India Express have been scheduling flights only to cancel them at the last minute, leaving travelers stranded at the terminal. Currently, Saudi Airlines is maintaining a limited schedule of four flights a week from Riyadh.
The airspace closures and subsequent flight cancellations have turned travel to and from the Gulf into a nightmare, with airfares surging up to four times the normal rates. This has dealt a severe blow to ordinary expatriates in desperate need of repatriation, particularly pregnant women, individuals requiring urgent medical care, those with expired visas, and workers who have recently lost their jobs.
Aviation authorities have strongly advised passengers to verify their flight status with respective airlines before heading to the airport. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the Indian Embassy and the Central Government have activated helplines and issued advisories to assist those in distress.
Concurrently, the Kerala State Government and NORKA Roots are in constant liaison with the Ministry of External Affairs, intensifying efforts to ensure the safe evacuation of Indians trapped in the conflict zones.
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