Why We Took the First Flight Back to Dubai

A UAE resident and global business leader shares his personal experience returning to Dubai with his wife on the first available flight from London.

Over the past few weeks, much of the global media coverage about the situation across the Middle East has focused on uncertainty and disruption. While travelling between the United States and London, Bijoy Mohan and his wife, Mala, were also closely following the developments from abroad.

Bijoy Mohan, Executive Officer, Executive Vice President, LIXIL International, LIXIL Corporation and GROHE AG Management Board
 

Mala had been visiting their daughter in London, while Bijoy Mohan had been travelling for work in the US. At the same time, their son and daughter-in-law had just moved to Dubai and were in their first week of settling into a new life in the city. Naturally, as parents, their instinct was to be with them.

From London, they monitored the situation closely. They were aware that travel disruptions had been stressful for many people over the past few days and followed the developments carefully. Like many others, they kept up with updates and reports about how the UAE authorities were managing the circumstances. What stood out to them was the sense of calm and the steady approach taken to ensure the safety and well-being of residents and visitors. It gave them reassurance at a time when many people were looking for clarity.

For them, the decision became clear: they wanted to return home.

The first available flight from London was Etihad EY68 on Monday night, and they booked it immediately. When they boarded the flight, there was a sense of relief, not only because they were heading back to their son during such an important moment in his life, but also because Dubai has become their home over the past year.

Arriving back in Dubai reinforced that feeling of returning home. Seeing the city from the air and returning to a familiar place brought a quiet sense of relief.

What they experienced was a city that remained calm, organised, and reassuringly familiar. Seeing how daily life continues, even in challenging moments, reflects the strength of the systems and the care with which the country manages the well-being of those who live here. For the couple, returning during this time strengthened their confidence in the place they now call home. It reassured them that the decision they made just over a year ago to move to the UAE was the right one.

Sometimes perspective changes when a place is experienced not from afar, through headlines, but by simply being there.

For Bijoy Mohan and Mala, arriving back in Dubai and seeing the city continue with calm and resilience confirmed why they chose to make it their home.