PV Sindhu stranded in Dubai as flights suspended amid West Asia tensions

Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu was on Saturday left stranded at Dubal airport en route to the prestigious All England Open badminton tournament, after flight operations were suspended owing to escalating of tensions in the West Asia.

The tournament is scheduled to start from next Tuesday.

Sindhu took to Instagram and posted a video showing a crowded airport with a caption: "All flights suspended until further notice."  The US and Israel launched a major offensive on Iran on Saturday, with American President Donald Trump calling on the Iranian public to overthrow the Islamic leadership that has ruled the nation since 1979.

The military strikes have led to a closure of air space in the Gulf region and caused disruption to several flights, including Emirates and Air India.

Air India cancelled all its flight to and from the Gulf region, mainly to Abu Dhabi, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Muscat, Riyadh, and Tel Aviv, Israel, the airline said in a statement posted on 'X'. 

 

The ordeal continues to unfold, and the situation is becoming more frightening by the hour.  A few hours ago, there was an explosion close to where we were holed up at the airport. My coach had to quickly run out of the area as he was closest to the smoke and debris. It was an… https://t.co/ZdNtuALk0P

— Pvsindhu (@Pvsindhu1) March 1, 2026

 

The Dubai airport too suspended all operations indefinitely due to airspace closures following missile strikes involving the US, Israel and Iran.