Canadians remain stranded across parts of the Middle East because the war involving Iran continues to disrupt travel, grounding hundreds of flights and leaving some tourists scrambling to seek out a way home.
Global Affairs Canada says that as of Wednesday, greater than 106,000 Canadian residents and everlasting residents are registered within the Gulf region, a number that has been growing since Sunday.
Brothers Kimball and Ravi Sarin are amongst those caught in the broader disruption. The Canadians were purported to leave Sri Lanka on Saturday after a month-long vacation, but their flight was cancelled amid the travel chaos.
“We had one other flight. We’ve been refused twice on the airport,” Kimball Sarin told Global News.
His brother said the delays have gotten urgent. “I’m on medication and I’m running out. I only have a few days’ (value) left,” Ravi Sarin said.
Ottawa says it has secured a limited variety of seats on industrial flights from Beirut and is other options.
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Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Israel’s Ministry of Tourism is working buses to the Menachem Begin border crossing between Eilat and Taba, Egypt.
Nevertheless, Anand said Global Affairs Canada just isn’t currently offering assisted departures.
Will McAleer of the Travel Health Insurance Association said travellers in affected areas could have limited options.
“Meaning be sure that that you just’re understanding how you would possibly have the ability to get out. Or in case you’re in among the affected areas where they’ve ceased all airline operations, meaning you must sit tight,” he said.
In Doha, where airspace stays closed, Canadians are waiting for conditions to vary.
Stephen Lougheed of Queen’s University is with a gaggle of scholars whose return from a field trip in Sri Lanka was interrupted when their trip home was grounded in Qatar.
“It’s closed air space because there are still missiles and drones flying,” Lougheed said.
The group has been staying in a hotel while considering whether or not they could leave by land, though Lougheed said the situation can shift quickly. “There have been some lulls in hostilities, but that may change on a dime,” he said.
A Quebec woman told Global News she has been calling her sister almost hourly since Sunday after she became stranded in Qatar.
Melissa Agathiadis says her sister, Stephanie Agathiadis, was purported to return home on March 2 from a three-week trip to Thailand and Vietnam. As an alternative, Stephanie and her partner got stuck in Qatar during a stopover after airspace closures. “Missiles are flying left and right,” Stephanie Agathiadis said.
The Sarin brothers say they’ve now booked one other flight to Toronto through Hong Kong on Friday, though they continue to be cautious.
“Scared to get too enthusiastic about going home yet, but we’re hopeful,” Kimball Sarin said.
The trip back to Canada is predicted to take about 35 hours, if it goes ahead as planned.
