New Delhi: 84 Pune MBA students stranded in Dubai after airspace closure amid West Asia conflict
Pune: Eighty-four students from Pune’s Indira School of Business Studies (ISBS) remain stranded in Dubai after tensions escalated in West Asia in the aftermath of US and Israeli attacks on Iran, leading to sudden airspace closures.
The group of Master of Business Administration (MBA) students and faculty members from ISBS had travelled to Dubai as part of a five-day academic study tour.
According to institute officials, 40 students were scheduled to return to Pune on Saturday, while the remaining 44 were to fly back on Sunday. However, following the suspension of several flight operations, both batches were unable to board their return flights.
“All the students and staff members are safe. They have been shifted to a hotel in Dubai, and we are in constant touch with them,” ISBS dean Janardhan Pawar said on Sunday.
Indira Group of Institutes chairperson Tarita Shankar said the institute has been coordinating with central authorities to facilitate their return. “We are in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The safety of our students is our priority, and we are making arrangements to bring them back at the earliest once flights resume,” she said.
The situation escalated after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed. The developments led to cancellations and rerouting of several international flights, including services operating to and from the United Arab Emirates.
On Saturday, the Chief Minister’s Office in Maharashtra said in a post on X that the state government was closely monitoring the situation involving students from Pune stranded in Dubai. “The Maharashtra government is in constant touch with the concerned authorities. All necessary assistance will be extended to ensure their safe return,” the post said. It added that officials have been directed to coordinate with the Centre and provide regular updates to the families of the affected students.
India’s aviation regulator on Saturday asked all Indian carriers to avoid flying through large swathes of West Asian airspace, warning of a “significant escalation in security risks” after the joint US-Israel strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory missile attacks across the Gulf.
Meanwhile, parents of the stranded students said they were relieved that the group was safe but anxious about their return. Institute officials said alternative travel options are being explored and that students would be flown back once clearances are in place.
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