Amid rising hostilities in the Middle East, 84 MBA students from Pune’s Indira School of Business Studies have been left stranded in Dubai following the closure of regional airspace, the institute informed Press Trust of India on March 1. The group had travelled to Dubai for their routine five-day academic study tour. However, their return plans were disrupted as tensions intensified due to the ongoing confrontation involving the US, Israel and Iran, leading authorities to suspend flight operations across parts of the region. The institute confirmed that all students are safe and have been accommodated in a hotel until further arrangements are made. According to officials, 40 students were scheduled to fly back to Pune on Saturday, while the remaining 44 were expected to depart on Sunday. The sudden airspace restrictions prevented both groups from boarding their respective flights. ISBS Dean Janardhan Pawar assured that the situation is under control and reiterated that every student has been moved to secure lodging as a precautionary measure.
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Indira Group of Institutes Chairperson Tarita Shankar stated that the MBA students, accompanied by faculty members, had travelled to Dubai for an educational exposure visit. Unfortunately, the abrupt shutdown of air routes left them unable to return as planned. She emphasised that the institute remains in continuous communication with the stranded group. Additionally, the management is coordinating closely with India’s Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Civil Aviation to ensure that the students and staff are safely brought back to India at the earliest opportunity.
Air travel across the Middle East has been severely affected following coordinated strikes by the US and Israel on Iran, with air defence activity reported over Dubai, the commercial hub of the United Arab Emirates. Major transit airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha were temporarily shut, resulting in the cancellation of over 1,000 flights operated by leading regional carriers. Airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways together handle nearly 90,000 transit passengers daily through these hubs, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, amplifying the scale of disruption.