KLIA passengers in limbo as flights scrapped over India Pakistan conflict

PETALING JAYA - About a dozen Indian travellers were stranded at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) after flights were scrapped due to the tensions between India and Pakistan.

The passengers, bound for Amritsar in India, claimed their flights were cancelled at the last minute, and they were forced to pay out of pocket to change their tickets and head to New Delhi.

They also claimed that their airline did not provide proper accommodation arrangements.

Mr Tushar Thaman, 18, a student visiting Malaysia for the first time, said the group only found out about the cancellation when they arrived at the airport and were asked to switch flights.

“I am a student and I was here for a week-long trip. I don’t have extra money to pay for a change in flights. I had to borrow money from a friend.

“There are 12 of us, and we feel helpless. We had to spend around RM1,000 (S$304) each to change our tickets,” he said yesterday.

He added that other affected passengers were given accommodation, but their group was not.

Another student, Mr Mohit Bagga, 24, said they had run out of money and had no place to stay after changing their tickets.

“We have to sleep at the airport tonight and wait for tomorrow’s flight,” he said, adding that they are unsure how they will get home after they reach New Delhi.

Malaysian carriers have rerouted flights and even suspended flights due to the closure of Pakistani airspace and escalating regional tensions.

Malaysia Airlines has rerouted two of its long-haul flights, with flights MH2 to London and MH22 to Paris diverted on May 6 for a refuelling stop in Doha, Qatar, before continuing to their destinations.

It also confirmed the temporary suspension of flights to and from Amritsar after authorities closed