Eight Indian nationals, including a Palakkad family with a three-year-old child, are stranded at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport in Pakistan after their Air Arabia flight from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Kuwait was diverted mid-air following the closure of Gulf airspace triggered by escalating Israel-Iran hostilities.
As flight operations to Gulf countries remain affected, the passengers continue to remain at Karachi airport. Kerala’s state agency Norka Roots has been coordinating with India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to secure their return, with a Colombo routing under active consideration.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting immediate intervention for the safety of expatriate Malayalis, and a 24-hour helpdesk has been set up for non-resident Keralites worldwide.
A Family of Three Among Those Stranded Mid-Journey
The stranded Malayalis have been identified as Krishnadas, a native of Kodumbu in Palakkad; his wife, Dr Reshmi Menon, a native of Kalady in Ernakulam; and their three-year-old daughter, Smrithi Menon. The family was mid-transit, heading home to Kuwait after what was likely a routine trip, when their aircraft was rerouted without warning to Pakistani soil.
The passengers contacted Norka Roots through a Loka Kerala Sabha member from Kuwait, following which the government announced it was coordinating with the MEA to bring them to India. Norka Roots CEO Ajith Kolassery and Department Secretary T.V. Anupama led a review meeting at the Thycaud Norka Centre to assess the situation and mobilise support.
Officials confirmed that the MEA is considering bringing them back via Colombo as Gulf airspace remains inaccessible for direct flights. In a parallel measure, a special help group consisting of Norka representatives and Loka Kerala Sabha members has been formed in Bahrain to coordinate activities, while government shelters have been set up in the country for stranded expatriates.
A Crisis Rooted in the Middle East Conflict
The predicament of these eight passengers is a microcosm of a far wider humanitarian disruption. Hundreds of thousands of travellers were either stranded or diverted to other airports after Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain closed their airspace, with no flight activity over the United Arab Emirates either after the government there announced a temporary and partial closure.
The closure of key hub airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha led to the cancellation of more than 1,800 flights by major Middle Eastern airlines. The crisis was triggered by coordinated military strikes by Israel and the United States on Iran, prompting sweeping retaliatory threats and regional airspace shutdowns.
Back in India, the Ministry of Civil Aviation announced the cancellation of 444 flights on Sunday due to airspace restrictions, while IndiGo temporarily suspended flights to and from the Middle East, with Air India Express and SpiceJet also facing significant disruptions.
Airlines like IndiGo and Air India Express announced full flexibility and fee waivers for passengers booked until 5 March, allowing them to reschedule or claim full refunds, though for those already stranded with expired visas or urgent commitments, these waivers offer little immediate comfort.
The Norka helpdesk, meanwhile, has been inundated: by 6 pm on Sunday alone, it had fielded 541 calls, with callers reaching out from the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and several other countries, seeking help with medication, documentation, and emergency assistance.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
There is something profoundly unjust about a three-year-old child spending nights on an airport floor in a foreign country because of a conflict she has no understanding of and no part in. Krishnadas, Dr Reshmi Menon, and little Smrithi Menon are not statistics; they are a family trying to get home. Their story must remind us that wars are not fought only on battlefields, they are felt in departure lounges, in frantic phone calls to helpdesks, and in the terrified eyes of toddlers far from home.
The swift mobilisation of Norka Roots, the Kerala government’s proactive engagement with the MEA, and the Chief Minister’s personal outreach to the Prime Minister are steps in the right direction. But they also underscore a sobering truth: India’s enormous diaspora, numbering in the millions across the Gulf alone, remains acutely vulnerable every time geopolitical tensions flare.
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Wrote to Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi expressing our deep apprehension over the escalating situation in the Gulf region following the attack on Iran. Requested urgent preparedness to ensure the safety of our Pravasis, including their safe return if necessary. The Government of…
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) March 1, 2026
