Mumbai: In the wee hours of August 1, 1990, Air India (AI) cabin crew member Shirin Bhanot* landed at Kuwait International Airport, then checked into the Crowne Plaza Hotel with colleagues. A day later, Iraqi Republican Guards overran Kuwait and eventually sparked the Gulf War. What was to be a two-three day layover became an 18-day stay for Bhanot and the flight crew.
"I saw troop movement from my room and Kuwaitis leaving in droves. Shops were looted. There were curfews," says Bhanot, who retired after 33 years of service. "We were asked not to watch TV or use lights that filter from under the door. We later learned it was because Iraqi Republican Guards were staying in the hotel."
Meanwhile, over 1100kms away on August 13 that year, Margaret D'Lima and Rita Nair stood on the stepladder of the Airbus A300 at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan. Air hostesses with erstwhile Indian Airlines (IA) – now merged with Air India – they were two of the first lot that brought thousands of Indian and foreign evacuees to India. The month-long rescue effort, during which an estimated 111,000 people were flown from Amman to Mumbai, culminated into the biggest evacuation drive by a civil airliner. It's a Guinness Record that still stands.
18/04/15 Roshni Nair/Daily News & Analysis
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"I saw troop movement from my room and Kuwaitis leaving in droves. Shops were looted. There were curfews," says Bhanot, who retired after 33 years of service. "We were asked not to watch TV or use lights that filter from under the door. We later learned it was because Iraqi Republican Guards were staying in the hotel."
Meanwhile, over 1100kms away on August 13 that year, Margaret D'Lima and Rita Nair stood on the stepladder of the Airbus A300 at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan. Air hostesses with erstwhile Indian Airlines (IA) – now merged with Air India – they were two of the first lot that brought thousands of Indian and foreign evacuees to India. The month-long rescue effort, during which an estimated 111,000 people were flown from Amman to Mumbai, culminated into the biggest evacuation drive by a civil airliner. It's a Guinness Record that still stands.
18/04/15 Roshni Nair/Daily News & Analysis
