Misbah and Kamran Akmal, 50 others stranded at Dubai, Kuwait airports

18 April, 2024

Former cricket captain Misbahul Haq and Kamran Akmal, along with other Pakistanis, were among those affected by the flight delays and cancellations.

Misbahul Haq and Kamran Akmal, who were travelling to the US via Dubai, found themselves waiting for hours at the airport due to the disrupted flight operations.

Expressing their frustration, Misbah mentioned that they had to stand in line for half a day just to speak to airport staff, highlighting the lack of assistance and accommodations for stranded passengers.

"People travelling are stuck for more than two days without hotel accommodation. Everyone have (sic) to be in queues for more than half of the day just to talk to staff at counters," he wrote in a post on X, resharing another post regarding "thousands of passengers" being stuck at the Dubai airport.

Akmal also posted on his X account decrying the service by an Emirarti airlines.

Similarly, passengers travelling from Madinah to Dubai via Kuwait after performing Umrah were left stranded at the Kuwait airport for two days due to the closure of Dubai airport.

Over 50 Pakistani passengers faced distressing conditions at the Kuwait airport, where they were left unattended without proper accommodations. These passengers had to reach Dubai from Madinah via Kuwait after performing Umrah. However, due to the closure of the Dubai airport, the foreign airline left them at the Kuwait airport.

Reportedly, the Indian and Nepali passengers of the flight were sent to hotels, while the Pakistani passengers were left unattended at the airport. Elderly women, children, and sick passengers were forced to sleep on the airport floor, with no response from Pakistani consulate authorities in Kuwait.

In a plea for assistance, passengers appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for help, as they continued to endure the ordeal without adequate support.

Flight operations resume

As the thunderstorm alert in the UAE ends, flights from Karachi to Dubai have resumed after the stormy rains in the United Arab Emirates wreaked havoc nationwide.

After the partial restoration of flight operations in Dubai, no flights from Karachi to Dubai and Sharjah have been cancelled, however, the departure time of flights has been delayed.

On the other hand, due to the stranded PIA plane in Dubai owing to record-breaking rains, the PIA flight PK300 from Karachi to Islamabad departed four hours and 35 minutes late.