Malaga residents unable to return from Kenya due to rising flight prices and closed airspace

More and more Malaga residents share their experience of not being able to return from their trips in different parts of the world due to the war escalation in the Middle East.

The latest case SUR has learnt about is that of a group of 22 people, including two teenagers, who had to catch a Qatar Airways return flight from Nairobi to Malaga, through Doha, on 28 February. The aispace remains closed and they are still in Kenya.

They have already looked into alternatives, but the flights are too expensive for many of them to afford - around 2,000 per person or 44,000 for all members of the group.

The outbreak of the conflict caught them in the middle of lunch on the day they were due to return from their safari trip. "We found out about the airspace closure and we rushed to the airport, but there was nothing we could do," Dr Juan María Rodríguez told SUR.

Although they are physically safe and cared for in a hotel in the Kenyan capital, the tourists from Malaga are anxious.

Dr Rodríguez described a feeling of "absolute helplessness" due to the lack of an adequate response from the Spanish authorities. The email they received from the embassy in Nairobi didn't provide them with solutions or flight options in case the hotel kicks them out.

"The only thing they have told us is to ask our families for money or to apply for a loan to buy new tickets," Dr Rodríguez said.

Due to their prolonged 'holidays', they have had to ask for days off work, without being able to say when they would be back. Seven teachers and two students are missing school.

"Qatar Airways has cancelled all flights. They are talking about a possible flight on 10 March, but they cannot provide us with any certainty," they said.

"Our nerves are on edge. We just want to get back to our homes and our jobs," Rodríguez said.