An Edmonton woman is still waiting for an explanation from Air Canada after her flight home from Delhi, India, was cancelled, and she couldn't reach the airline for help.

"We were stranded and left to fend for ourselves, and that's a terrible feeling," Julia Abelsohn told CBC in an interview Friday.

Abelsohn had spent the month of February in India, taking part in a meditation retreat. She had finished her trip in the northern city of Rishikesh.

Abelsohn and her travelling partner had tickets to fly out of Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport with Air Canada on March 1.

The day before her scheduled departure, Air Canada emailed Abelsohn to inform her the flight from Delhi to Toronto had been cancelled.

She said the ten people travelling in her group were also impacted by the same cancellations.

The email contained a link for rebooking the flight, but it didn't work, said Abelsohn.

She wasn't able to reach the airline by phone or email, she said.

"The lack of information, the lack of support, just being left hung out to dry, was very upsetting."

We were stranded and left to fend for ourselves, and that's a terrible feeling. - Julia Abelsohn, Air Canada passenger

Air Canada declined an interview with CBC News, but confirmed in an emailed statement that the flights were cancelled due to the "abrupt" closure of Pakistan's airspace.

India and Pakistan are fighting over the Kashmir region. Two Indian planes were shot down when they flew over Pakistan's airspace on Feb. 27.

"As a result, our planned flights between Canada and Delhi could not operate on Feb. 27 and 28," wrote spokesperson Angela Mah.

Abelsohn said not knowing the severity of the threat added to the stress of the situation.

"What you need is more communication, not less communication, so that did add to our anxiety."

She believes the airline should have done more to get its passengers home through other routes or partner airlines.

"They should have been flying us out of there one way or another.

"That should have been their major concern, getting Canadians out of there if it was a high-tension zone. Not just leave us there."

Abelsohn ended up buying a new ticket home through Korean Airlines for around $2,500. She flew out of Delhi on March 3.

She has filed a claim with Air Canada to be reimbursed for the extra expense.

Air Canada told CBC it would refund the cost of the unused ticket.

But Abelsohn still wants to know why she couldn't reach the airline when she needed help.

"I'd like to know why they did what they did. I certainly wouldn't feel safe flying internationally with them again."

Air Canada has since resumed its flights from Delhi to Toronto and Vancouver, with a stop in Copenhagen to re-crew and refuel, according to its website.