There was a lot of hugging and crying at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Friday as relatives welcomed back loved ones who were stuck in the Belgian capital of Brussels following the deadly terror attacks there on Tuesday.
A Jet Airways ‘recovery’ flight, 9W 1229, from Amsterdam, carrying 242 Indians including 28 crew members, landed at the IGIA at 5:30 a.m. on Friday, a Jet Airways spokesperson said.
Some of the passengers from Punjab and Uttarakhand immediately called up their relatives after de-boarding to let them know they were back home safe. Mini Chhawana, who was received by her uncle and father, recalled the nightmare: “I was stranded at Brussels airport for a long time as I had a layover there for I was coming from New York. There was a lot of chaos at the airport. Nobody knew what to do or where to go.”
Delhi residents Satnam Singh and his family were stuck at the Brussels airport with their two toddlers.
“We were coming back from Toronto. We had a transit flight from Brussels. As soon as we entered the airport, we heard explosions. Soon, it was clear that there had been a terror attack. The authorities at the airport told us that we have to evacuate the place immediately,” Mr. Singh said.
“We were taken to an army relief camp where we stayed for two days,” he added.
