New Delhi, March 3 -- A routine international business trip took an unexpected turn for an Indian entrepreneur after escalating tensions in the Middle East disrupted air travel across the Gulf.

Sanjay Varnwal, CEO and co-founder of Spyne, found himself stranded in Kuwait after his connecting flight to New York was forced to return mid-air due to sudden airspace closures linked to the US-Iran conflict.

In a detailed LinkedIn post, Varnwal recounted how he boarded a 3am flight from Delhi to Kuwait before heading for his onward 9am connection to JFK airport in New York.

"Everything felt completely normal when our flight took off from Kuwait at 8:45 AM on February 28th. I was just settling in, reading a book, totally unknown to what's happ...