Stranded at the Airport: Middle East-Bound Passengers Left in Limbo as Flights Cancelled

Multiple flights on Middle East routes were cancelled, affecting prospective passengers at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang on Sunday, 1 March. Many passengers expressed disappointment and resignation at not receiving advance notification of the cancellations.

According to observations at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta Airport, several passengers visited airline information counters to confirm their departure schedules. Others remained in departure lounge areas, with some resting on terminal seats whilst awaiting confirmation.

Nur Iman, a passenger bound for Kuwait, stated he was scheduled to fly to Kuwait with a connection in Doha, Qatar using Qatar Airways. However, he reported not receiving cancellation notification from the airline.

“Airlines usually telephone if there are flight schedule changes. But this time there was no information. Even this morning we could still check in through Garuda Indonesia because Garuda is Qatar’s partner,” he said.

He stated he was still awaiting confirmation from the airline regarding rescheduling options or other policies.

Meanwhile, Ashabul Yamin, a passenger bound for Doha, Qatar, reported checking in on Saturday, 28 February in the evening. However, his flight experienced repeated delays before ultimately being cancelled.

“There were several delays. Initially two hours, then delayed again until waiting for the next day’s flight schedule, but there was still no confirmation,” Yamin said.

Multiple flights to and from the Middle East region were cancelled following escalating tensions in the region after the United States and Israel conducted military strikes against Iran.