Sindhu Stranded in Dubai After Airport Explosion, Safe Amid Gulf Tensions
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu on Sunday described a “tense and scary” ordeal at the Dubai International Airport, where she and her Indonesian coach were stranded after an explosion occurred close to the area where they were staying amid escalating tensions in the Gulf region.
The disruption comes after the United States and Israel launched a major offensive on Iran , triggering retaliatory missile strikes across parts of the Gulf, including the United Arab Emirates . The developments forced multiple airlines to cancel or reroute flights.
Sindhu, who is scheduled to compete at the All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham starting March 3, has been stuck in Dubai since Saturday after flight operations were suspended following airspace closures triggered by missile strikes in the region.
“Once our flight landed in Dubai, events beyond our control began to unfold. Shortly after, the airspace was shut down and the last few hours have been extremely tense. We could hear the sounds of interceptions overhead,” Sindhu told PTI Videos.
“A few hours later there was an explosion very close to where we were holed up at Dubai airport. My coach was barely about 100 metres away when it happened and had to quickly move out of the area. Experiencing something like this in such close quarters truly shakes the very foundation you’re built on,” she added.
Her coach, Irwansyah Adi Pratama , also confirmed the incident, describing it as a narrow escape.
“There was an explosion in the airport, so we are stuck here at the moment. They have put us in the hotel. We are okay but there is a little bit of worry at the same time. We want to go to All England. I hope we can fly out today because Sindhu’s match is on Wednesday,” he said.
Sindhu said she and her support staff have been moved to a more secure location and thanked the Dubai Airport authorities and the Indian High Commission for their swift response and assistance to stranded passengers.
Air India announced cancellation of all its services to and from major Gulf destinations, while Dubai International Airport suspended operations indefinitely due to airspace restrictions.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) said it is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with Badminton England and national associations. It stated that safety and wellbeing of athletes remain the top priority and contingency plans are being reviewed in case travel delays affect the competition schedule.
Most Indian shuttlers have already reached Birmingham. Players who have arrived include the top men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty , men’s singles player Lakshya Sen , young shuttler Ayush Shetty , and women’s doubles players Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly . Malvika Bansod has also reached, while Unnati Hooda remains in India after her direct flight from New Delhi to Birmingham was cancelled.
“I was supposed to travel today around 11 but early morning came to know that the flight has been cancelled. Now seats are not available in connecting flights. I am in touch with BAI and they are in conversation with BWF to maybe schedule my matches late,” Unnati said.
Former India coach Vimal Kumar was also scheduled to depart on Saturday but learnt about his cancellation shortly before boarding in Bengaluru.
Doubles coach B Sumeeth Reddy will travel via Singapore along with the mixed doubles pair Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani , as authorities explore alternative routes for the affected players.