Actor Ameesha Patel is back home in Mumbai after what she describes as a long and exhausting travel ordeal that left her stranded mid-journey for over a day. Speaking to us, the actor shares, “I’m not stuck at Dubai Airport anymore… I’ve just landed back in Mumbai. The entire journey has been quite an ordeal. It was over 25–26 hours.”
Ameesha explains that what began as a seamless trip from New York quickly turned complicated as their flight approached Dubai. “We had a beautiful journey from New York to Dubai and were supposed to land and take our connection to Mumbai. Suddenly, we were just hovering, circling the airspace and wondering why we weren’t landing,” says the 50-year-old, who was travelling with DJ Chetas and producer Kunal Goomer.
She further elaborates that it was only after passengers accessed in-flight Wi-Fi and began receiving messages that the situation became clearer. “We started checking updates and realised that the UAE airspace had shut. So, we all panicked,” she says, adding that even in the crisis, the airline crew handled things to the best of their ability. “The crew and the captain of Emirates were extremely calm. He ensured that we didn’t worry… they kept saying our safety was their responsibility.”
With landing permissions uncertain, the flight was eventually diverted. “Had we not gotten permission to land, the captain was going to take us to Muscat because we needed fuel,” shares the actor, adding that even after the aircraft refuelled, the unpredictability continued, and so did the stress. “The Dubai airspace was opening and shutting, so we weren’t sure whether we would actually land in Dubai or not.”
The actor, who had constantly been sharing updates on her social media, says that even after finally landing, passengers faced further delays. “I am glad that I wasn’t travelling alone. It would have been all the more stressful. We couldn’t get a flight back immediately. The next flight they put us on was six-seven hours later. Those hours were torture because you’re just sitting at the airport, worried that the airspace might shut again and you’d be stranded. It was very stressful,” says Ameesha, adding, “Everyone missed their connections—whether it was within India or to places like Thailand and Singapore.”
While the actor is safely back home, Ameesha says, “It’s a relief to be back home. Safe and sound. I have gratitude, God is kind. All’s well that ends well.”