A Lithuanian journalist is stranded in Oman as regional airspace closures disrupt travel plans amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Livija Gradauskienė, a television and radio presenter, detailed a chaotic night attempting to depart Oman on social media Tuesday, March 3, 2026. The situation highlights the broader impact of the conflict in Iran on civilian travel across the Persian Gulf region.
Gradauskienė was traveling from Sri Lanka, with a layover in Dubai, when her flight was unexpectedly diverted to Muscat. “Until Dubai there was only an hour left when suddenly the crew announced that we were landing in Muscat. I asked why. They said it was something related to the war, perhaps from Afghanistan or Pakistan – rockets are flying, the airspace is closed,” she told Lithuanian news portal lrt.lt.
Initial attempts to continue to Dubai proved unsuccessful. “I’ll strive to explain briefly. As I said, yesterday at 11 p.m. We found out that we had to be downstairs quickly, within half an hour, we were being taken to the airport and flown to Dubai,” Gradauskienė wrote in an Instagram post. “We landed, everything seemed okay, as if it was being resolved, but it turned out that they are flying to Dubai only those whose final destination is Dubai, and ours, as you know, is not Dubai at all, so we returned.”
A subsequent opportunity to fly to Dubai on March 4, 2026, was also abandoned after realizing there was no clear plan for onward travel. “We stopped waiting for the bus downstairs and, after talking, realized that it was better not to fly to Dubai, because there is no plan there, except for some kind of ticket, a promise to fly from Dubai on March 7. What to do in Dubai until March 7 is a question,” she explained.
Gradauskienė and her companions opted to remain in Oman and await further information. She expressed hope that their originally booked tickets for a flight via Istanbul to Vilnius on Wednesday, March 5, 2026, would still be honored. “We chose to stay safely in Oman and wait for information. We really hope that our purchased tickets for Wednesday via Istanbul to Vilnius will somehow work out and that everything will work out for us,” she said.
The presenter remains uncertain about when she will be able to return to Lithuania, with no clarity on available flights or a potential return date. The development underscores the challenges faced by travelers as the conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt air travel routes.
“So far, we have no information on how to get out of here. There is no clarity,” Gradauskienė stated.
Gradauskienė had been vacationing in Sri Lanka with friends before the travel disruptions began.
