KATHMANDU: Passengers have been left stranded at Tribhuvan International Airport after flights were suspended due to the escalating conflict in the Gulf region.
Passengers bound for direct destinations such as Dubai, Qatar and Saudi Arabia said they have been struggling without money for food after their flights were cancelled. Many, who had carried only limited expenses, have been sleeping at the airport premises since the suspension.
They complained that even drinking water inside the airport is expensive and beyond their means. Although the Hotel Entrepreneurs Association has claimed to be assisting affected passengers, those at the site said they had not received food support.
Some passengers who have spent two nights sleeping on the cold cement floors said they have fallen ill. A few were seen with swollen bodies and eyes due to lack of sleep and proper rest. They said that when they sought help from airport staff, they were told nothing could be done.
Speaking to Khabarhub, stranded passengers urged the government, manpower agencies and concerned authorities to provide support.
“No money even to return home”
Roshan Kumar Yadav from Siraha said he was travelling to Qatar for the first time and had arrived at the airport for a 9:45 pm flight.
“The foreign employment company told me to coordinate with airport staff and said they had no role in this. I was told to stay in a hotel. It cost Rs 500 to sleep and Rs 500 for two meals a day. I have already spent Rs 1,000 per day,” he said.
After two days of waiting, he said his money has run out. “If the conflict prolongs and I have to return home, I don’t even have bus fare. I had carried expenses for just one day.”
“I didn’t carry extra money”
Jayalal Mandal from Dhanusha, who works as a carpenter in Qatar, had returned home on a 20-day leave for his daughter’s wedding.
“I arrived in Kathmandu this morning thinking I would reach Qatar by evening, so I carried minimal cash. There’s no use carrying a lot of Nepali money abroad,” he said.
He said he was unaware of the latest developments in the Gulf region. “If the flight resumes, I have to be here. I have already spent heavily on my daughter’s wedding and may have to borrow money again to stay in a hotel.”
“No one even asked if we needed water”
Prakash Bahadur Sarki from Kanchanpur, who was set to travel to Saudi Arabia, said he had been staying in a Kathmandu hotel for four days in anticipation of possible disruptions in the Gulf countries.
“Now the flight is cancelled. I don’t know whether to return home or wait. If it’s just one or two days, it’s manageable. But if it takes longer, what should we do?” he said.
He added, “Passengers are stranded at the international airport. No one has even come to ask if we need a glass of water.”
“We are sleeping on the cement floor”
Rajkishore Pandit from Dhanusha said he and a friend have been stranded for three days.
“We have no money left. It’s very cold in Kathmandu at night. We are lying on the cement floor. We have been surviving only on water,” he said, adding that even water costs Rs 100 inside the airport while he has only Rs 10 in his pocket.
He said they feel neglected. “If we return home and flights resume, what then? If we stay, we don’t know how long this will last.”
Uncertainty over future
Krishna Singh Bohara from Dhangadhi, who was heading to Sharjah, said he was shocked to see hundreds of stranded passengers upon arrival.
“If flights don’t resume, I may seek shelter with relatives in Kathmandu. But if it drags on, what then? Employment is at stake,” he said.
He added that if large numbers of Nepalis working in Gulf countries are forced to return due to the conflict, it could create serious challenges at home.
Passengers said they are anxious and uncertain, urging the government to take immediate steps to address their plight.
Comment