PV Sindhu stranded in Dubai airport amid tensions in Middle-East
Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, en route to the prestigious All England Open, was on Saturday left stranded at the Dubai airport after flight operations were suspended owing to escalating tensions between Iran and US-Israel.
Sindhu put up a video on her Instagram story, showing a crowded airport as people waited for an update from the authorities, with the caption, ‘All flights suspended until further notice.’
The men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, however, have reached Birmingham. Chirag uploaded a story on Instagram, saying, “Safely landed in Birmingham before US struck Iran.” Doubles coach Tan Kim Her and shuttler Dhruv Kapila could also be seen in the background of the video, which had Chirag walking on the streets of West Midlands.
After the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday, the latter’s Revolutionary Guard launched counterattacks, firing drones and missiles at Israel and strikes aimed at U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, in the meantime, has issued an urgent safety advisory valid until March 2 for all airlines to avoid the countries of Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman.
Published on Feb 28, 2026