Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru / Bengaluru
Mangaluru / Bengaluru, March 16: Flights from Mangaluru International Airport to key Gulf destinations were cancelled after a drone attack near Dubai International Airport, throwing air travel from Karnataka into disarray and leaving several passengers stranded or scrambling to rearrange their journeys.
Services from Mangaluru to Dubai, Dammam, and Abu Dhabi were suspended after aviation authorities in the United Arab Emirates temporarily halted flight operations following the security scare near the Dubai airport.
Air India Express cancelled its scheduled services on these routes for Monday and Tuesday, affecting passengers travelling between coastal Karnataka and the Gulf region.
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The disruption also rippled across the state’s main aviation hub, Kempegowda International Airport, where a total of 24 flights were cancelled. This included 11 outbound flights from Bengaluru and 13 incoming flights from Gulf countries.
Flights scheduled to arrive in Bengaluru from Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Dubai, and Doha were among those called off.
Major Indian carriers Air India and Air India Express suspended several services to Dubai after the incident.
Airlines have offered affected passengers the option to reschedule their travel to a later date without additional charges or cancel their tickets for a full refund. The sudden cancellations also left some travellers stranded in Dubai as flight schedules were disrupted.
Passengers have been advised to check the latest flight status with airlines before heading to airports, as operations remain subject to security advisories issued by UAE authorities.