Amid the ongoing Iran vs US-Israel war, numerous UAE residents across the world have been left stranded due to a temporary shutdown of the region’s airspace and flight cancellations. However, the persistent urge to go home and be with their family and friends in the country that they have been residing in for years, prompted numerous expats to pursue the road not taken. For some, the journey back home meant long bus journeys or flights through different countries. What kept them going was one wish: to get back to the UAE, their home.
Uganda-Ethiopia-India-Oman-UAE
Abdul Sami Abdul Naeem Nabeel was born in Abu Dhabi in 1975 and spent his entire life in the UAE. He had flown to Kampala, Uganda on February 26 to explore the African market for his granite and marble company in Dubai, after being invited by a local supplier. However, his return flight with flydubai on February 28 was cancelled when Dubai airport closed, leaving him stranded in a hotel in the Ugandan capital with no clue of when or how he would go home. With the undetermined will to go home, Nabeel eventually flew with Ethiopian Airlines from Kampala on March 3, with stopovers in Addis Ababa and Bangalore. He then reached Hyderabad, his hometown in India where his mother lives. The next day, he secured a ticket on Oman Air and flew to Muscat on March 5, then hired a taxi from the airport to Dubai and set out on a journey of around seven hours.The entire reroute, from Kampala to Bangalore via Addis Ababa, Bangalore to Hyderabad to Muscat to Dubai, cost him around Dh10,000 in flights and transport combined. Considering he was fasting, the ordeal was even harder. However, his wife and two daughters were in Dubai the entire time and the journey back home was an important one. “While I was travelling, it was an extremely stressful time for me.”However, the thought of asking his family to leave and come to India, never crossed Nabeel’s mind. “I’ve been born and living in this country for 50 years. My two daughters live here. There is no way we’ll think of leaving, no matter what. We pray for Dubai to be in a safe zone. No matter what, we have a life in this country.”
Kerala-Muscat-Al Ain
Dr Thahira Kallumurikkal, an Indian clinical audiologist, social worker and author based in Al Ain. She had travelled to Kerala to attend a literary event to collect the prestigious SK Pottekkatt award for her Malayalam novel Inthadhar. She had planned to extend the trip to spend some time with her eldest son who is studying in India, before returning by Tuesday, March 3. However, on Saturday, February 28, the news of the conflict broke, just after the award ceremony. Her ticket was cancelled while her husband and two younger children were waiting back in Al Ain. Her children’s exams have been cancelled, replaced by online classes, and their academic year-end break. Thus, she could have asked her family to fly to India, but she chose differently. Though she also held a US visa, she arranged an e-visa to Oman to ensure there was no trouble in her entry to Muscat. After landing in Muscat, she made her way back by road to Al Ain.“I felt it was right to return,” she said. “I’ve worked closely with this government during the COVID pandemic. I was part of the Abu Dhabi health emergency operations team, and I worked as the Care Coordination Team Lead for Asian countries. I have witnessed first-hand how this government and its leaders take care of us, expats. So, I took it as an opportunity to show my loyalty to this country.”Kallumurikkal, also shared talking to people working in different fields who could have chosen to stay in India. “How can we not return when this country gives us so much protection and reassurance? This is the time we need to show our solidarity and support.”
