Passenger traffic at the airport in Dubai dropped by two-thirds in March following Iran's attacks on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in response to U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, the emirate's media office said in a statement on Monday.
Traveller numbers at Dubai International, usually the world's busiest for international passenger traffic, sank to 2.5 million, down 66% year-over-year, Dubai Media Office said.
The airport endured "a period of regional disruption that significantly constrained airspace capacity and flight schedules," it said.
"With airspace within the UAE now fully restored, Dubai Airports is moving decisively to scale up operations, increasing flight movements in line with available regional routing capacity."
Dubai International was targeted several times by drones as the oil-rich UAE bore the brunt of Iran's retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes.
Quarterly traffic was down 21% to 18.6 million in the first quarter of 2026. Dubai International handled a record 95.2 million passengers last year, and had been expecting to receive 99.5 million this year.
"The extraordinary events of the past few weeks are unprecedented for any major airport hub," Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths was quoted as saying in the statement.
Still, the operations and flights are being ramped up now that United Arab Emirates airspace is fully clear, with capacity increasing in line with available routing, Reuters quoted Griffiths as saying on Monday.
UAE's aviation authority said on Saturday that air traffic had returned to normal after precautionary measures introduced on Feb. 28, at the start of the Iran war, were lifted.
Despite disruption from the conflict, Dubai International and Al Maktoum International airports have handled more than 6 million passengers, over 32,000 aircraft movements, and more than 213,000 metric tons of cargo, with travel demand through Dubai remaining strong, Griffiths said in a LinkedIn post.
Dubai International Airport (DXB), the world's busiest international travel hub, handled 18.6 million passengers in the first quarter of 2026, down from 23.4 million a year earlier, the Dubai media office said on Monday.
"Demand for travel through Dubai remains strong, and DXB is well positioned to progressively increase capacity and support airlines and guests through a period of continued adjustment," Griffiths added.
