Vu Viet Hung, a Hanoi resident travelling to Paris on business, said his Hanoi-Doha flight was diverted to Muscat, Oman, about an hour before landing due to operational restrictions in Doha linked to escalating tensions between the United States, Israel and Iran.
Passengers remained on board for more than seven hours awaiting instructions before being allowed to disembark, followed by another lengthy wait to complete entry procedures at Muscat airport, which became increasingly congested.
Hung said roughly 25-30 per cent of passengers on his flight were Vietnamese, with the remainder international travellers transiting through Doha to Europe and other destinations. Regular updates from the crew helped ease concerns, though fatigue mounted as delays stretched on.
He was later assigned a private room at a five-star hotel with meals provided. Hung said it eased stress as passengers awaited revised itineraries, and with temporary entry permission he and others made short trips into central Muscat.
Mac Tran Trung Hieu, 32, also from Hanoi and travelling on the same flight, said uncertainty over the duration of the delay left many anxious. Some passengers, exhausted and hungry, lay on the terminal floor as seating proved insufficient.
Hieu said the disruption forced him to cancel a planned business trip to Berlin. He had been due to arrive in Germany on February 28 but remained in Oman as of late March 2, awaiting further updates on onward travel. Checked baggage also remained inaccessible, leaving many passengers with only hand luggage.
Many travellers said they hoped the situation would stabilise soon so flights between Europe and Asia could resume normal operations.
