NDTV Exclusive - PV Sindhu On Two Days Of Horror In Dubai: "It Was Scary, Happy To Be Back Home"

In her glorious career, during which she became one of the most elite athletes in the world, PV Sindhu has seen and overcome many challenges. We are talking about a champion who has won two Olympic medals and five World Championship medals. Yet none of those experiences could prepare the 30-year-old badminton star for what she went through in the last 72 hours. Sindhu was travelling to Birmingham for the prestigious All England Championships, which started on Tuesday, with a layover in Dubai. But the two-time Olympic medallist found herself stranded at Dubai Airport amid a major flight disruption triggered by the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

What followed was a "scary" experience, as Sindhu described it. She returned home on Tuesday and spoke to NDTV about the ordeal. "I'm happy that I'm back home safe. I mean, it was scary, it was terrifying... it's an experience nobody expects - that you get stuck in a war and the airspace suddenly getting closed. I was just in transit at Dubai and all of a sudden, all flights were suspended," Sindhu said in the exclusive interview with NDTV's Padmaja Joshi.

Sindhu landed in Dubai on February 28, and almost immediately, the airspace was shut.

"When we landed on the 28th at around 1 p.m., within minutes they told us the airspace was shut. Then they said flights were delayed, which sounded normal. But soon after, they told us all flights were suspended because of what was happening... it was confusing. A few hours earlier, some of my colleagues flying to Birmingham had also transited through Dubai and reached safely. So I kept wondering what had changed so drastically for us to be stuck," Sindhu said.

#NDTVExclusive | "Happy that I am back home safe": Badminton Player PV Sindhu to @padmajajoshi

Sindhu was stranded in Dubai due to ongoing #IsraelIranConflict pic.twitter.com/S4IAkgxVW1

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 3, 2026

Airport authorities moved passengers to transit hotels, but thousands of people were stranded.

"It was very crowded. At first, there was no place, and they were not allowing anyone to step out because immigration was shut. We waited for hours at the airport. Eventually, we were moved to a hotel."

But that wasn't the end of the ordeal. "While we were in the bus to the hotel, my coach was still at the airport. Suddenly he messaged saying there was a loud sound and everyone started running. He said there was a lot of smoke - we don't know if it was an explosion, debris, or a drone - but it was terrifying. He was only about 100 metres away. They were evacuated to another hotel. We were so worried about his safety. That night, none of us could sleep. There were so many calls from family. It was very hard."

The next day brought more fear.

"We heard loud sounds from our hotel window - five or six times. We even received an emergency alert on our phones asking us to stay indoors and away from glass windows. It was really hard mentally. We were constantly watching the news, and it kept sounding like things were getting worse."

Sindhu was full of praise for the Indian authorities.

"I must say, the Indian Consulate in Dubai and our government were very, very helpful. They helped so many Indians stranded there. I received calls from our Sports Minister, from the Badminton Association, from Raksha Ma'am and from Rammohan sir, constantly asking about our situation. The consulate staff and airport staff were doing their best to accommodate everyone in hotels."

Indian consulate members were physically present at the airport helping stranded passengers, including Sindhu. "They were asking everyone about their destinations because it wasn't just passengers leaving Dubai - people coming from the US and other countries were stuck too. They were reassuring us constantly, giving us food, water, and saying everything would be okay," she said.

#NDTVExclusive | PV Sindhu Returns To India After Being Stranded In Dubai Amid Ongoing Middle East Conflict. Shares Her Experience With @padmajajoshi #IsraelIranConflict pic.twitter.com/yM2yXWq3oH

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 3, 2026

Eventually, airlines began contacting stranded passengers. "Yesterday, we got a call from the airline saying that if we wanted to return to India, we should come to the airport immediately. I even asked if there were flights to London so I could still compete. But there were none - everything was shut."

Sindhu had no choice but to give up her All England Open campaign. "I mean, it is sad. But at the end of the day, the priority was to be safe. That was most important. I just wanted to get out safely.

The star badminton player was all praise for the Dubai and Emirates officials who guided her team. 

Topics mentioned in this article

PV Sindhu Badminton