Indians Stuck in UAE: Maharashtra Govt Arranges Flights to Bring Back 164 In 2 Flights Amid Middle East War

Mumbai: As tensions flare up across the Middle East, and Iran targets almost every Gulf country in the region, Arab nations have been forced to close their airspace. Amid these uncertainties, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has arranged two aircraft to fly back 164 citizens of the State stranded in the UAE.

The Maharashtra state government has launched an emergency WhatsApp helpline for hundreds of residents stranded in the Middle East. Shinde's office said that these two flights would take off from Fujairah Airport at 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. and is slated to land in Mumbai on Tuesday evening.

The 164 passengers started in the Gulf nation include 84 students from Pune's Indira School of Business Studies and some residents from Thane, Ahilyanagar, and Pune. Shinde's office mentioned that the Deputy Chief Minister has been in touch with those stranded in UAE ever since the conflict flared up. Officials said that several hundred people from Maharashtra are stranded in the Middle East due to airspace closure in various Gulf countries. 

In a post on X, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said that Devendra Fadnavis is monitoring the situation. Reports suggest that Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan has been tasked with coordination efforts. The CMO has also issued a WhatsApp number for stranded citizens.

Meanwhile, thousands of citizens have found themselves caught in a massive aviation standstill as major hubs like Hamad International (Doha) and Dubai International (DXB) operate under severe restrictions.

As of March 3, 2026, the closure of airspaces over Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia has left an estimated 8,000 passengers stranded in Qatar alone, with tens of thousands more affected across the Gulf. According to Qatar's Foreign Ministry, nearly 8,000 people are stranded in transit in the country.

Here's What MEA Said

The Ministry of External Affairs voiced concern about the intensifying conflict in the Middle East.

“The destruction and deaths have mounted, even as normal life and economic activities come to a halt. As a proximate neighbour with critical stakes in the security and stability of the region, these developments evoke great anxiety. There are almost one crore Indian citizens who live and work in the Gulf region. Their safety and well-being is of utmost priority,” the MEA said.

“Our trade and energy supply chains also traverse this geography. Any major disruption has serious consequences for the Indian economy. As a country whose nationals are prominent in the global workforce, India is also firmly opposed to attacks on merchant shipping. Already, some Indian nationals have lost their lives or are missing as a result of such attacks in the last few days,” it added.

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