The Ukrainian couple had just visited Vietnam and arrived in Singapore on Feb. 28 expecting to catch a Qatar Airways flight to Doha, then continue home. Instead, they found themselves stranded for three days and two nights, according to Shin Min Daily News.

With just 10 euros ($12) between them, no credit cards, and expired travel insurance, checking into a hotel was not an option. They slept in the terminal with their luggage.

Qatar Airways provided them with food vouchers on March 1, covering two meals, and eventually arranged a free seat on an early morning flight on March 3. To get through their last night at the airport, they planned to eat fruit they had bought in Vietnam, along with some chocolate.

They were far from alone. Qatar Airways suspended all operations after Qatari airspace was closed, the airline confirmed.

Changi Airport Group said 32 outbound flights from Singapore between Feb. 28 and March 7 were cancelled, with affected destinations including Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Jeddah, according to The Straits Times.

Shin Min reported travellers gathered at the Emirates counter in Terminal 1 of Changi Airport on March 2, seeking any information they could get. A 41-year-old passenger scheduled for a Qatar Airways flight to Doha on Monday night, before continuing to Peru via Spain, said he hoped to fly home as soon as possible.

On the evening of March 1, German passengers were also seen asking about the situation, Shin Min reported. A 29-year-old woman from Hamburg had arrived from Bangkok and was supposed to transfer through Doha that day. A 44-year-old German man who had arrived from Vietnam with his wife was trying to get details about their March 6 flight.

Among the most difficult situations was that of a 30-year-old Filipino woman travelling with her 22-month-old daughter. They had left Manila on Feb. 28 and were supposed to transfer through Abu Dhabi on an Etihad Airways flight to Switzerland, where her husband had already gone ahead. But the flight was cancelled on March 1, just as she reached the boarding gate.

"My husband went back to Switzerland ahead of time," she told Shin Min Daily News. Etihad provided her with 24-hour accommodation. By the morning of March 2, she planned to reroute through Taipei to Milan, then on to Zurich, a far longer journey home.

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has advised Singaporeans to defer all travel to the Middle East and to e-register with the ministry at eregister.mfa.gov.sg to be contactable if needed.