'Heard Missile Over Hotel': Returnees Share Ordeal After Abu Dhabi Flight Lands In Delhi Amid Middle East Crisis

New Delhi: Air travel across the United Arab Emirates is slowly beginning after days of cancellation due to Middle East tensions between Israel and Iran. One of the first evacuation plane from Abu Dhabi landed in New Delhi on Monday night, which was bringing over 300 Indians to safety.

When did the plane land?

Etihad Airlines flight EY 216 from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, landed at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) at 8:30 pm on Monday, according to reports.

This was one of the four evacuation flights that was arranged by Etihad to India. The other three planes landed in Mumbai at 7:40 pm, Bengaluru at 9:45 pm and Kochi at 10:10 pm.

About 310 passengers boarded the Etihad flight that made it to Delhi.

Has the airlines started special flights?

Airlines like Emirates, Etihad and flydubai started running some select and special flights from Monday evening, which will offer relief to many people. Some flights also operated from Dubai, but most commercial flights are still closed. Airlines are saying that only essential and safe flights will operate.

What did the airlines say about operation?

Several flights by other airlines are also planned for the coming days.

While confirming that Flydubai will begin operation, Dubai government's media office on X said that, "Flydubai will operate a limited number of flights on the evening of 02 March 2026. Customers are advised to update their contact details via Manage Your Booking and check Flight status at http://flydubai.com before travelling to the airport."

Emirates airline also confirmed that it will resume services, stating, "We are accommodating customers with earlier bookings as a priority, and those who have been rebooked to travel on these limited flights will be contacted directly by Emirates. Please do not go to the airport unless you have been notified,” the airline said in a statement.

“All other flights remain suspended until further notice. Emirates continues to monitor the situation, and we will develop our operational schedule accordingly. Updates will be published on http://emirates.com and our official social media channels. We would like to thank our customers for their understanding and patience. The safety and security of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority,” the statement said.

Abu Dhabi airports also confirmed that "operations partially resumed" on Monday.

What was seen at Delhi airports?

A flight from Abu Dhabi arrived in Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday, with passengers describing tense skies over the Gulf. 

Family were overjoyed to see the passengers exit through the airport gates  at Delhi's Terminal 3.

What did the stranded passengers tell?

The people who came back said that there was a scary atmosphere in the sky. 

A passenger who landed in Delhi said, "We could see missiles being constantly intercepted. The airspace is very busy. There was not a very visible impact in Abu Dhabi."

Another passenger said, "I saw the war. It felt as if the heart was ticking. I had never seen anything like this. I had a dream of joining the Indian Army, but after seeing this, I started wondering, How do these people live like this every day?"

While sharing the ordeal, a returnee said, "I have seen missiles striking and bombs exploding for sometime... The missile exploded when we left the hotel and then we panicked. We ran and escaped that place."

Another passenger's father said that, “We were extremely scared as he had told us that he could hear and see missiles being intercepted above his hotel. We were tracking his flight the entire time and could only be relieved when it entered Indian airspace."

"The airspace is really large there and missiles are intercepting. The debris fell and caused some injury... You can actually feel the missiles intercepting there constantly. Today we somehow managed to fly back," another passenger said.

Abu Dhabi International Airport was among sites damaged in the drones and missiles strikes by Iran in retaliation to strikes by US and Israel