Indians are among thousands of people stranded at the Abu Dhabi International Airport on Saturday amid Iran's retaliatory strikes that have prompted airspace closures in various parts of the Middle East.
The UAE remains on high alert as it repels the third wave of Iran's offensive, titled Operation True Promise 4, which Tehran says was its response to the ongoing US-Israel military airstrikes on its soil.
#WATCH | UAE | Passengers stranded at Abu Dhabi airport amid flight disruptions and cancellations due to the situation in the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/7vtXPoBEix
— ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2026
This could be felt at the airport, one of the busiest in the Middle East, as alarms blared across terminals, scaring passengers towards the exits and causing pure panic.
This third wave has already led to a fire at the Fairmont Hotel in Palm Jumeirah, the evacuation of the Burj Khalifa, and the death of a Pakistani national due to sharpnel from an airborne interception by the UAE's air defence systems.
The UAE's National Guard personnel moved in to control the situation and prevent the stampede, advising the remaining passengers to stay inside the building for their safety.
#WATCH | UAE | Visuals from Abu Dhabi International Airport as flights have been cancelled, after Iran launched several missiles and drones towards UAE https://t.co/9DMHY7DDQX pic.twitter.com/2ElGLcjeoc
— ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2026
The explosions—mainly aimed at Washington's Al Dhafra airbase in Abu Dhabi—have completely halted the airport's operations, as all international departures stand cancelled.
"I came to Abu Dhabi to attend a friend's party over the weekend, and we are stuck here ... there is a bit of a commotion ... The local people who had come here are slowly leaving, but the guards are advising us to stay inside. All the flights are suspended, and no flights are going to any country anywhere," said stranded traveller Sanjeev Mehta to ANI.
"I'm flying back from Chennai to Chicago via Abu Dhabi. This morning when I left Chennai at 10 AM, there was no issue. We took off, flew here, and now I'm kind of stuck. My flight is supposed to go only at midnight tonight, so there are still a few more hours. I hope things can still start functioning by the end of the day, but it is completely unknown," explained Vil Varadhan, an American citizen from Chicago, his voice filled with anxiety.