For newlywed couple Mr. Yu and Ms. Zheng, from China’s Zhejiang province, a dream honeymoon to view famous sunsets in the Middle East has ended in an epic scramble for safety. After covering the region since February 19, they reached their final stop, Doha, Qatar, just as the sky changed from sunset colors to the fire of missile interceptions.
A Split-Second Decision
The couple hoped to fly to Sydney from Doha, where Mr. Yu works. But they could not get seats on the same flight, due to airline booking rules. Ms. Zheng was able to board a 9 a.m. flight on February 28, eluding a US-Israel strike on Iran that forced a complete shutdown of the region’s primary aviation centers. Mr. Yu, who was due the next day, was stranded with all civilian operations from Hamad International Airport suspended. His hotel balcony was in the center of these operations when more than 11,000 flights were canceled from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, forcing him to stand and observe from the air, as missiles exploded over the city skyline.
"War Can Be So Close"
Given a 35,000 yuan ($5,000) bill that could have pushed his earlier emergency flight out of operation as it had been missed on unaffected routes, Yu decided to wait it out. He has rebooked his flight for March 13, staying in a downtown hotel in Doha while his wife waits nervously in Australia. “It is the first time I've really realised how close it is, how close this war really is,” Yu told Chinese media, recounting the surreal experience of ordering food delivery — and air-raid sirens in the streets to the ears of those people.
Global Travel Chaos
The duo is one of an estimated 1.5 million passengers stranded throughout the world by the conflict. The closure of Gulf airspace, a critical “chokepoint” for long-haul travel, has left almost all major carriers needing to reroute services, or cancel services, according to aviation firm Cirium.
- “Chinese Response”: Air China, China Southern, and China Eastern instituted “no-penalty” refund policies through March 15.
- Evacuations: As of 5 March, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already evacuated more than 3,000 citizens from Iran.
- Economic Impact: Airfares from alternative routes between Asia and Europe reportedly skyrocketed with some one-way tickets reaching over 7 lakh rupees (approximately $8,400).
