UAE to cover food and accommodation costs for stranded travelers - Media
Kyiv • UNN
The United Arab Emirates will cover the food and accommodation costs for tens of thousands of travelers stranded in the country due to the conflict in the Middle East. More than 20,000 travelers were affected by flight cancellations after UAE airports were closed.
The United Arab Emirates will cover the costs of food and accommodation for tens of thousands of travelers stranded in the country during the conflict in the Middle East, state media report, writes UNN with reference to CNN.
Details
The UAE Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) sent a message to hotels asking them to extend the stay of passengers who cannot travel "for reasons beyond their control," The National reports.
"The cost of the extended stay will be covered by DCT Abu Dhabi," the message says.
Other reports also state that the costs will be covered by the state.
Iran carried out an unprecedented missile and drone attack on the UAE capital Abu Dhabi and the economic and tourist hub of Dubai in response to US-Israeli strikes on Saturday that killed the country's supreme leader.
According to the website, more than 20,000 travelers have been affected by flight cancellations since UAE airports closed on Saturday, with both Dubai International Airport and Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi affected by Iranian strikes.
Videos show long queues of passengers as airlines canceled flights through UAE hubs, leaving travelers stranded at the airport and many other countries around the world with planned trips.
Travelers stranded in the Middle East are trying to find ways to get out as the conflict expanded on Monday, dashing any hopes of a quick reopening of airspace over key regional hubs.
One passenger, who asked to remain anonymous, told CNN that she had planned to fly from Dubai to Paris on Sunday, but her flight was canceled. She tried to book a ticket to Hong Kong, but it was also canceled. On Sunday, she tried to fly by private jet through Oman, driving six hours to the border – a journey that usually takes four hours, complicated by queues of cars at the border. But this attempt also failed, as the private jet could not land to pick her up, and she found herself back in Dubai.
Another traveler, Vrushali Kadam, was traveling to Dubai International Airport with her husband and their 16-year-old son on Sunday when the chaos began. After several delays, she received a message that their flight to India had been canceled. Kadam is now staying in a hotel in Sharjah, as accommodation in Dubai was fully booked. Her nerves are on edge amid efforts to get home, the publication writes. "I called all the hotlines. All lines are busy, and then the call drops," she said.