Simona Musu and Dean Scheepers flew to the Maldives on February 22 to get married. But since the start of the war in the Middle East, it has been impossible for the Dutch couple to book a return flight to Amsterdam.
From dream to hell. Originally from South Africa and living in Amsterdam, Simona Musu and Dean Scheepers arrived in the Maldives on February 22 to enjoy a week-long stay, during which the couple got married in an intimate ceremony organized on a private beach.
But nothing ended as planned… The return flight of Simona Musu and Dean Scheepers to the Netherlands, where some relatives were waiting for them to celebrate their wedding, was impacted by the American-Israeli offensive on Iran on February 28, and the conflagration regional that resulted.
Given the missile and drone strikes, air traffic was effectively disrupted over much of the Middle East, grounding hundreds of planes. Since then, the situation has changed little and the Dutch couple still find themselves stranded in the Maldives. A return flight was scheduled for them five times, before finally being canceled.
A significant additional cost
Obviously, Simona Musu and Dean Scheepers aren’t the only ones stuck. “Everything is happening so quickly. Even when you spot the tickets, they disappear in a few seconds,” the husband explained to CNN.
This inability to return home also creates a significant additional cost for accommodation and food on site. The couple’s additional costs since the start of the war in the Middle East would be between $5,800 and $7,000.
Advised by a waiter who knows the Maldives well, Simona Musu and Dean Scheepers went to the more financially affordable island of Maafushi. There, they found a “comfortable and clean” beachfront hotel for a price of around $200 per night.
A return planned for this Saturday?
Employee in an insurance company, Dean Scheepers had the sense to take his professional computer in his suitcase. For Simona Musu, a teacher in the Netherlands, however, it is impossible to telework. “I really miss my students and my colleagues,” she says.
Since then, the couple has been trying as best they can to find a return flight. While the wife thought she had finally found two seats available for March 13, they were ultimately canceled, once again.
On Wednesday afternoon, Simona Musu and Dean Scheepers once again managed to reserve two seats for a return flight, which should arrive this Saturday in Amsterdam. “I am cautiously optimistic,” Simona Musu told CNN.
Despite some nervousness about flying across the Middle East, the couple said they were “willing to do anything to get out of paradise.”
