What began as a dream wedding trip ended in an unexpected ordeal for South African couple Simona Musu and Dean Scheepers, who became stranded in the Maldives after global flight disruptions linked to the conflict in the Middle East.
The couple had travelled to the Maldives last month to celebrate their wedding with a beach ceremony at a luxury resort. Speaking to CNN, Musu said their journey began perfectly.
“We felt so glamorous. We went straight from the airport, and there was someone standing with our names on a sign who took us to the seaplane and then to our resort,” she said.
But when the couple arrived at the airport a week later to return home, their plans fell apart.
They were among thousands of travelers stranded worldwide after US-Israeli strikes on Iran triggered widespread airspace closures and flight cancellations across the Middle East.
The couple described chaotic scenes at Velana International Airport as stranded passengers crowded the terminal.
According to Scheepers, tourists were scattered across the airport charging phones, lying on the floor and trying to sleep.
“No one seems to have the feeling of having a comfortable and happy holiday in an island destination,” he said.
Musu said the situation quickly became stressful.
“The whole week we had at the resort was incredible. The wedding day was just perfect, beautiful — everything went to plan. From there on, downhill. It’s been an absolute nightmare,” she said.
Two weeks after the conflict began, global air travel remains heavily disrupted, in what has been described as the worst aviation crisis since the Covid-19 pandemic.
CNN reported that more than 52,000 flights have been cancelled across the Middle East, affecting around six million passengers.
Despite the disruption, some airports including those in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh have gradually resumed operations.
The Middle East plays a crucial role in global aviation. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, nearly one in five passengers travelling between Europe and the Asia-Pacific region will pass through Middle Eastern hubs by 2025. Regional airlines are expected to carry about 240 million passengers by 2026, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Airlines have struggled to manage the disruption. Qatar Airways alone cancelled 2,185 flights between March 7 and 11, according to flight tracker FlightAware.
For Musu and Scheepers, the disruption turned their trip into what they described as an “extended honeymoon disaster.”
Their flights were rescheduled and cancelled five times, stretching their planned stay of one week in the Maldives to nearly three weeks.
The couple spent hours each day searching online for new routes and contacting airline customer service.
Some available tickets cost more than USD 3,000 one-way, while others involved exhausting journeys — including one route with multiple connections taking 56 hours.
Even when they attempted to book tickets at higher prices, they often found that seats sold out within seconds.
The couple initially returned to their resort, which offered stranded guests a 50 percent discount. However, the cost was still too high.
They later moved to Maafushi, where accommodation was cheaper though still costly for extended stays.
Since arriving on the island two weeks ago, they have stayed in three different hotels. Musu said one room had no windows and felt “like being locked in a jail.”
Even in Maafushi, she said, rooms cost around USD 200 per night.
Despite the difficulties, Musu said they remained grateful that they were not trapped in a war zone or stuck inside an airport.
Musu said her husband wakes before 6 am every day to search for flights, and he eventually managed to secure tickets via Saudi Arabia to the Netherlands.
If the journey goes ahead as planned, the couple expect to finally return home today.
