The ongoing conflict in West Asia has adversely impacted students and the business community in Punjab. Airspace closures and flight disruptions across the region have sharply increased travel costs, particularly for Punjabi students flying to the US or Canada via Europe.With countries such as the UAE, Qatar, Iraq and Iran closing or restricting their airspace, major international and Indian airlines have raised fares by around 15-20 per cent. Several airlines are also considering grounding aircraft amid operational challenges.Students returning to universities in the US and Canada are now paying Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh for flights via Europe, compared to Rs 60,000-Rs 70,000 earlier.“Flights have become unbearably expensive. Only those students visiting home for spring break are currently affected, as new semester students usually leave before July. Hopefully, the situation will ease by then,” said Manjot Dhillon, director of Invictus International, an overseas education consultancy based in Amritsar.Students from Punjab often relied on budget routes via Doha and Dubai. With Dubai’s airspace now shut and Pakistan’s airspace already closed following military tensions with India last year, many are being forced to take longer routes via Southeast Asia and Europe, significantly increasing travel costs.The disruption has also affected entrepreneurs and businesses.“This conflict has visible repercussions for businesses and industries in India, particularly in Amritsar. The Gulf region is one of India’s key trading partners, and the current situation has impacted nearly $66 billion worth of trade. Due to disrupted air routes, flights are being rerouted, leading to longer transit times, delays in cargo movement and a sharp increase of 50-70 per cent in freight costs. This has directly affected exporters, especially in textiles, plastics and small-scale industries,” said Sameer Jain, general secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal.Rising crude oil and fuel prices have further escalated the cost of plastic raw materials, packaging and transportation, increasing production costs and adding inflationary pressure in the market.Trade in Amritsar has been impacted by around 15-20 per cent, with delays in export orders and disruptions in payment cycles . Qatar Airways is expected to resume limited flights between Doha and Amritsar from March 18, even as Dubai’s airspace remains shut.Gunbir Singh, director of Divine Destination, a travel company based in Amritsar, said, “The present crisis and uncertainty were almost inconceivable a fortnight ago. Those who did not need to stay back have managed to return via Abu Dhabi and Fujairah on Indian carriers. Some were fortunate to get flights to Delhi on Emirates and Etihad, despite the high costs. Most tourists stranded in large numbers have now returned with assistance from Indian missions in the Gulf. The rest, especially those with business responsibilities, are working remotely in Dubai, including my son, who could not return due to the airspace closure.”Jalandhar Capt brings back LPG vessel from war zoneCapt Sukhmeet SinghJalandhar: Amid the ongoing West Asia conflict, it was a Jalandhar-based Capt Sukhmeet Singh who commanded one of the two ships that brought back thousands of metric tons of LPG and reached Mundra Port in Gujarat today.It was an emotional atmosphere at the residence of Sukhmeet in Adampur here as he safely returned to India. His family shared that he was in Qatar on February 26 and moved to Iran on February 28 right at the time when the war had just started.His wife Sandeep Kaur said, “Sukhmeet was not sharing any information with us over the phone. He used to just call us and tell us that he was fine.” —TNS