Bengaluru, 3 March

Relief was writ large on the faces of Indian passengers who arrived at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru from the UAE, ending a period of high tension fuelled by the conflict in West Asia.

Upon arrival on Monday night, the passengers recollected the tense moments of a missile attack in the Gulf nation, before flying towards safety.

Travellers thanked Etihad Airways, the Abu Dhabi government and the Indian government for ensuring their safety and providing accommodation and transport during the disruption.

Saurabh Shetty, who hails from Mangaluru and works for an oil company in Abu Dhabi, described the situation as “worrisome and scary”.

“When I came to catch my flight on 28 February, everything seemed alright. Suddenly, near the check-in area, we got an alarm and were asked to sit down. We were cautioned not to sit near the windows because of a missile threat,” he said.

“Someone said, ‘Missile is going to hit.’ We were shocked. We were like we are in the safest city — Abu Dhabi. How can this happen here? Later, when we looked outside, we saw a missile. We never thought such things could happen here. Everyone was calling to check if we were safe. Thankfully, we were safe inside the airport,” Shetty added. “If one missile had hit, we would not be here.”

“From my (hotel) room, I could see interceptions happening in the sky. At that time, I thought about how the Indian Army faces such situations,” he added.

Mahesh, who was travelling from Boston, lauded the airline’s arrangements.

“Around 15 to 16 flights operated today, and they are expecting more to resume. Only partial airspace is available right now,” he said.

Ramya, a Bengaluru resident who had travelled to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, said, “Our return flight was cancelled initially. Today (2 March), Etihad arranged another flight for us.”

Niruban from Coimbatore said there was some delay due to drone activity, but the journey back was smooth. “The Abu Dhabi government took very good care of us. Within four to five hours, they arranged transport to good hotels and ensured everyone’s safety. Even while returning to the airport.”

Prasad, a software developer working in Bengaluru, said while Abu Dhabi was relatively stable, the atmosphere remained tense.

“We heard sounds and felt vibrations. There were interceptions happening, and some debris reportedly fell near the airport. Dubai was said to be worse,” he said.

Girimalappa Kerur, originally from Bilgi in Bagalkot district and currently based in Bengaluru, said he was travelling to Paris on a business trip but got stranded. “We could hear explosions.”

No info, no flights, no updates: Foreigners at KIA

For several foreign nationals stranded at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, the uncertainty about the future sullied an otherwise nice holiday. Many said that they had been waiting at the airport, but had no information about when they could catch their flights.

"It's been a nice holiday until now,” a German national said. Her flight from Bengaluru to Dubai and then to Düsseldorf, Germany, was cancelled because of the ongoing conflict. “We’ve been trying to get a flight or any information from Emirates, but there's not much at all have nothing."

She had been in India for three weeks, visiting places like Bangalore, Mysore, Madikeri, National Park, Gokarna, Palolem, Panaji and Baga Beach. “We have no information, no flight, and no updates. We saw only one flight yesterday, directly from here to Frankfurt, but it was for 8,000 euros, which is too expensive to pay. We're waiting here on the hotline; it's the only thing we can do.”

A Swiss national, Sirius, said he is stuck at Bangalore airport while travelling to Geneva via Abu Dhabi after his flight got cancelled. He added that he is waiting for his travel agency to find solutions or provide a refund

“They (flight administration) just said it was supposed to be rescheduled at first, but then it was purely cancelled. They were apologizing but not giving me any real solutions," Sirius said.

Ashoka flays CM’s comments on Khamenei’s death

Karnataka expects maturity from its Chief Minister, not impulsive commentary on sensitive global affairs, BJP leader R Ashoka said on Tuesday.

Siddaramaiah had on Monday “strongly condemned” the contradiction between the US speaking of peace while choosing the “path of war” and expressed condolences on the assassination of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Ashoka retorted on X on Tuesday, saying that New Delhi’s foreign policy is driven by strategic depth and not shaped by “domestic vote-bank compulsions or electoral calculations.”

The LoP in the Assembly drew parallels between Siddaramaiah’s previous comments, especially during Operation Sindoor, saying that the CM was prone to “knee-jerk reactions”.

Ashoka further said foreign policy is not a stage for ideological posturing.