NEW DELHI: For many families in Delhi, Holi and Eid will be an occasion to celebrate reunion. Families were reunited after days of anxious calls to relatives in West Asia as tensions there escalated. Those who returned said the situation was tense but not scary or dangerous and everything was functioning normally. It was their families in India, constantly following the news, who were most worried. At Delhi’s IGI Airport, passengers from Dubai, Oman and Abu Dhabi trickled in on Tuesday after flights slowly resumed. “There is nothing safer than our motherland India,” several returnees said, expressing relief at being back to celebrate Holi with families.Operations At IGIA Hit For Fourth Day In A RowAmong those waiting outside the arrival gates was 30-year-old Anshika, a Gurgaon resident, who had been anxiously waiting for her husband, who got stuck in Dubai while travelling to London. The couple tied the knot on Feb 14 this year.Her husband took the flight on Feb 28. When the situation escalated, he attempted to return as soon as possible so he travelled to Oman and from there flew to Delhi.“This is our first Holi together as a married couple. I could not have asked for anything more than having my husband back home safely,” she said with a smile.“We were constantly worried,” Anshika said. “Every hour he would tell us that alarms were going on and security announcements were being made.”“For us,” Anshika said, holding her husband’s hand, “this Holi is not just about colours. It is about being together and being safe.”Operations at Delhi Airport were impacted for the fourth consecutive day due to airspace closures.At least 80 flights to and from Delhi were cancelled on Tuesday – 36 departures and 44 arrivals – while over 200 flights were delayed, including domestic services. On Sunday, 104 flights were cancelled and 87 on Monday.Sources said more than 300 Gratis Temporary Entry Permits were issued by the Bureau of Immigration in recent days, allowing stranded international passengers to exit the airport.To manage the rush and assist affected travellers, two additional information desks were set up in the international security holding area and departure forecourt. Quick Reaction Teams were deployed across check-in halls, boarding gates, and arrival areas.Akash Saxena, a real estate businessman from Saket, who travelled from Dubai to Oman, described the atmosphere as tense but not chaotic. “It was scary when we heard the sounds, but otherwise operations were functioning.”He said while daily life was not severely disrupted, the first time he heard a missile being intercepted shook him. “I was on a call with my mother at 8 in the morning when I heard the noise and later saw visuals of a missile being intercepted. That was the first time I felt scared,” he said.He added that “the government was very supportive. Things were under control. Still, coming home is better for safety.”Noida resident Deepa, who had travelled to Dubai for tourism, said the initial day was tense. “People were a little scared, and our families in India were worried. We were not sure if our flight would take off or if we would reach home safely. But things were operational,” she said. “Now that we are back, we feel relieved.”Sixty-five-year-old Nita, who had travelled to Abu Dhabi with her daughter, said they decided to cut their stay short after sensing unease.“We were in Abu Dhabi at a hotel on the 28th when the situation became tense, so we decided to check out and move to a relative’s place. It felt much safer there, as proper arrangements had been made in the basement parking area for safety in case of any emergency. That gave us some comfort,” she said.
