“You Look Excited”: Mzansi Woman Stranded at South Korean Airport as Middle East War Grounds Flights

• A South African woman living in Korea for over four years had her long-awaited flight home cancelled after war broke out in the Middle East
• More than 1,800 flights were cancelled on Saturday after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, shutting down airspace across eight countries
• Rather than panicking at the airport, the stranded Mzansi woman booked herself into an airport spa hotel while she waited for updates on her flight

A South African woman who had been living in South Korea for over four years found herself stranded at Incheon International Airport in Seoul on 28 February 2026.

This came after the United States and Israel launched military strikes on Iran. Mkhize, a TikTok user who goes by the handle @poleiymkhize, had booked a Qatar Airways flight to South Africa. She was left sitting at the airport, unable to go anywhere, as the conflict caused an almost complete shutdown of Middle Eastern airspace. The conflict took her connecting route down with it.

Read also

US‑Israel strikes on Iran leave South Africans stranded, government urged to act

A war that grounded the world

The US and Israel launched large-scale strikes across Iran. They targeted military infrastructure and, as later confirmed, killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran retaliated by firing drones and ballistic missiles at Israel and at Gulf countries hosting US military bases, including Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE.

At least eight countries closed their airspace, including Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE. Dubai International Airport, one of the world's busiest airports, was shut down entirely. Qatar Airways, with which Mkhize was booked to fly with, suspended all flights. Emirates and Etihad did the same. By the end of Saturday, more than 1,800 flights to and from the Middle East had been cancelled, with another 1,400 scrubbed for Sunday.

Stranded but making a plan

In a TikTok clip posted on 28 February 2026, Mkhize explained to her followers what was unfolding at the airport. She described how her Qatar Airways flight had been grounded and what that meant for her plans. Rather than falling apart, she booked herself into an airport spa hotel to wait it out in relative comfort while the world figured itself out.

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Eva Modika stuck in Dubai, pleads with Ramaphosa for help: "We respectfully request support"

Watch the TikTok video below:

Mzansi reacts to the flight cancellation

Briefly News compiled a series of comments from the post below.

@JNGcape African Art Gifts commented:

“So, who is responsible for hotel bookings in a case like this?”

@Kadee007 wrote:

“I'm stuck in SA, my flight was on Friday, and my return ticket is today, but I can't come back.🤣”

@asandaesihlehlophe said:

“I’m having the same problem. I’m in China right now, and I’m planning to go home tomorrow.😭”

@Precious_pedagogue🩷 noted:

“I'm stuck in Dubai.😭”

@GLAMMA said:

“Be safe.”

@G commented:

“You look like you're feeling more excited to be stuck than going home.”

More articles about war in Iran

• South Africans stranded in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are calling on the government to urgently intervene after major Middle Eastern airports were shut following US and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation.
• The US and Israel have launched a joint military strike on Iran, with explosions reported in Tehran and several other cities.
• President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for urgent dialogue and maximum restraint amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Source: Briefly News