UAE-based Indian stranded at Dubai airport after missing flight back home

Dozing off at the airport in Dubai left an Indian national stranded at its Terminal 3 as he missed his flight back home and now he cannot even go to his UAE resident as the country refused entry to residency visa holders as a precaution to limit the spread of the coronavirus, according to a media report.

Arun Singh, a UAE resident, missed the last flight to India on Sunday.

Singh, 37, from Pune, had passed immigration and security and was due to board the 4 am Emirates flight to Ahmedabad on March 22 when he fell asleep in the waiting area and missed the final boarding call by a few minutes, The Gulf News reported.

All flights have since been suspended. He was not allowed to re-enter in the UAE because residency visa has also been suspended, the report said.

It was an honest mistake, Singh, who works in the IT department of a bank in the UAE, said.

I just fell asleep as I was so stressed. I'm getting a divorce so I was flying back to India to file it," he said.

"Initially I was allowed back into the arrivals immigration hall but then they said entry was only for GCC nationals. I explained to them that I had fallen asleep and that it was an accident," he added