. Kishor Pun of Bardiya is leaving for Qatar on Saturday for work.

He reached the airport on time with his passport and Nepal Airlines ticket in his hand. But he could not go to Qatar. After arriving at the airport, he was informed by the Nepal Airlines Corporation that the flight had been suspended.

He was found stranded at the airport on Sunday afternoon. He said that he had to pay only for food and fare to travel to Kathmandu from Bardiya. He doesn’t have money to stay in a hotel or buy food. “I spent the night sleeping at the airport yesterday, I don’t know when the flight will resume,” he said.

Sarala BK of Kailali is in a similar situation. She reached the airport on Saturday to go to Saudi Arabia for work and has been here till Sunday. From time to time, they ask the employees of the corporation when the flight will take place. But the answer is not satisfactory. If the employees of the corporation have any questions, they suggest going to the office of the airlines in New Road. Wick is going to Saudi Arabia for the second time. She came home on leave two months ago and is worried that she will not be able to go to Saudi Arabia again if she returns to Kailali from Kathmandu.

Thousands of Nepalis like Pun and BK are making rounds of the airport these days. No flights have been operated from Nepal to these countries. After the US and Israel started attacking Iran on Saturday, the impact of Nepali workers has been seen. Nepalis going to the Gulf countries for employment have been affected the most.

Airports in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait have been temporarily closed due to the attacks on Iran by the US and Israel. As a result, Nepalese travelers who have come to fly abroad have been left in the lurch.

Among them is Dilip Prasad Rajbanshi of Morang. He was scheduled to return to Dubai on Sunday after a three-month vacation working as a labourer in Abu Dhabi, Dubai. When the owner of the Dubai-based company called, he did not answer as it was a holiday on Sunday. The company had booked the ticket from Dubai itself. There is no official word on what will happen next. “Dubai’s airport is closed, they just say, but what to do now? How do I get a refund for my ticket? And whether the ticket available at the cheapest price is available or not? Is it going to be expensive?” he says. According to him, Nepali passengers going to the Gulf countries including him have been in confusion for lack of correct and authentic information.

Ganesh Mishra, who came to the airport to go to Dubai, said that the staff at the interrogation room told him to go to the place where he had bought the ticket. He said he felt lonely and abandoned.

Dhanusha’s MD Rozendaw said that he has been coming to the airport for two days to go to Qatar. “We haven’t been able to return home, we don’t have money to stay in a hotel and we are not sure when the flights will open,” he said.

Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) spokesperson Archana Khadka said that the flights will not be operated until the situation returns to normal as the flights to different countries have been suspended due to the escalating tension between Iran and the US. However, she urged passengers to contact the office if they need to refund their tickets.

“Since it is not possible to carry out all the works at the airport, we have asked them to contact the office”, she said, “However, it is not possible to carry out the NAC’s work at the airport itself for the convenience of the passengers.” ”

Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) spokesman Bikram Raj Gautam said that due to the uncertain closure of airports in some countries, definite information could not be given to the passengers. However, he said that the airlines have published a notice that they should inform passengers by calling them three to four hours before the departure of the flight. Madhu Shahi/RSS