A Latvian English teacher told Newsweek she found herself as the sole passenger in economy class on a Flydubai flight from Riga to Dubai—an experience she later described as both surreal and unexpectedly viral.
Marina, who lives in Riga, Latvia, shared a video from inside the aircraft showing rows of empty seats, writing that she was “the only passenger on the plane to Dubai” on March 8. The clip has since been viewed more than 2.2 million times on Instagram.
Newsweek reached out to Flydubai via email for comment.
The clip drew widespread attention amid travel chaos around the Middle East as a result of the current Iran war.
In recent weeks, airlines around the world have suspended or canceled flights to destinations including Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi after U.S. strikes on Iran and subsequent retaliation led to airspace closures across large parts of the region.
Major hubs such as Dubai International Airport—one of the busiest in the world—saw operations curtailed, with flight‑tracking data showing commercial skies over Iran and neighboring countries largely empty at points in late February and early March.
Aviation analysts have warned that the conflict was creating prolonged uncertainty for travelers, with airlines forced to reroute, delay or cancel services as security conditions continued to shift.
Marina said she never expected her personal journey—taken for work reasons after multiple delays—to resonate with such a large audience.
“I shared this reel because it was very personal…plus, of course, a very unusual flight,” she added.
According to Marina, she was originally scheduled to fly from Riga International Airport to Dubai on February 28, but the flight was canceled. The journey was later rescheduled for March 7, before being delayed again until 9:15 a.m. on March 8.
“I was the only passenger in the economy class,” she said. “There were two other passengers in the business class.”
Marina said the flight was especially important because she had accepted a teaching position in the United Arab Emirates earlier this year. She works as an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher and said she had gone through three interviews with the organization that offered her the role.
Marina added that the process included waiting for her diplomas to be legalized at the UAE embassy in Riga and for her employment visa to be issued—making the repeated flight cancellations particularly stressful.
“Once it was ready…the flight was canceled,” she said.
Despite the circumstances, Marina described the eventual journey as calm and comfortable.
“The flight was nice; comfortable and relaxed,” she said, adding that after waiting at the airport from 3 a.m. until departure, she spent the flight watching movies, sleeping and eating.
After posting the video to what she described as a “small Instagram channel,” Marina said she was surprised when the clip went viral overnight.
“There were many comments, mostly positive with a bit of humor,” she said. “Some said it was fake. Many asked about a business class.”