A commercial flight from the United Arab Emirates touched down at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Thursday, bringing home Americans who had been sheltering in Dubai and other UAE cities during a wave of missile and drone strikes. At the Jamaica, Queens terminal, the arrival felt like a long overdue homecoming for families who had spent days juggling canceled flights, shelter-in-place orders and a maze of uncertain travel options.
On board were college students and other travelers from the tri-state area, many of whom told local reporters they had spent hours in hotel basements or underground parking garages while strikes rattled Dubai and Abu Dhabi, according to ABC7 New York. UConn sophomore Evan Rhualt and Ryan Rivera Cabrera of Woodstock, Conn., said they were among more than 100 high school and college students sheltering during a Model United Nations trip. Another passenger, Charles Lowe of Bethlehem, N.J., recorded cellphone video of what he said was a nearby drone strike and later described chaotic scenes at his hotel.
Airspace Chaos And Limited Flights
Air traffic in the Gulf has been severely disrupted, with airlines scrambling to adjust routes and schedules. A limited number of repatriation and commercial services have slowly resumed as authorities assessed safety conditions and reopened some corridors, Gulf News reported. Travelers were urged not to head to airports unless they had been contacted directly, and carriers were prioritizing passengers with confirmed bookings.
Local Reaction And Unanswered Questions
At JFK, the mood mixed relief with exasperation, as some passengers and families questioned why clearer federal evacuation plans had not been in place. That criticism surfaced repeatedly in interviews after the flight landed, according to ABC7 New York. Officials, for their part, said they were exploring charter and military options while continuing to urge Americans in the region to rely on commercial routes whenever possible, per reporting by The Washington Post.
