Stranded Calgary couple escape Dubai amid escalating Middle East conflict

A Calgary couple stranded in Dubai amid escalating conflict in the Middle East has finally secured a way home after days of uncertainty and soaring flight costs.

Bhawana and Amogh Katyayan were returning from a vacation in India and the Maldives when their stopover in Dubai on the weekend turned into a days‑long ordeal.

The couple’s Emirates flight back to Calgary was abruptly cancelled Saturday following the initial U.S.–Israeli strike on Iran, leaving them with no clear path home.

“We had nothing, no information at all,” Bhawana said, describing the confusion that followed the cancellation.

The couple spent hours in airport lineups, trying to rebook flights as tensions in the region escalated.

They say they received almost no assistance from Canadian officials. While Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Wednesday that Canada had begun discussions with the UAE to charter flights for stranded citizens, the Katyayans say they heard nothing after their first call.

“Not even a follow‑up call, email (saying) okay, we are here for your moral support… we didn’t get anything,” Amogh said.

By Thursday, the couple had managed to reach Colombo, Sri Lanka, where they spoke about the chaos of their journey and the fear they felt in Dubai, including hearing a loud bang when the U.S. consulate was bombed.

“We didn’t know whether we were going to Colombo, whether we were going to Calgary, whether we would end up in Delhi. We didn’t know anything,” Bhawana said.

They eventually secured a multi‑leg route home, flying through China and Japan before arriving in Calgary on Sunday evening.

They estimate they paid nearly four times the usual fare but say safety mattered far more than cost.

“Now I feel like I can breathe,” Bhawana said. “I need not look up, thinking something will fall on us.”