The ongoing conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran has severely impacted global aviation, resulting in flight cancellations, rescheduling, and rerouting. Most Middle East airspace remains closed due to fears of missile and drone attacks, contributing to a surge in fuel prices.
Monday’s incident highlighted the challenges faced by UAE airlines and the aviation industry as they work towards increasing capacity and returning to normal operations.
This marks the third attack at Dubai International Airport since Iran initiated assaults on Gulf nations on February 28, targeting the US presence in the region. While the UAE and other Gulf countries host US military facilities, Iran has targeted civilian infrastructure like airports, hotels, and ports using missiles and drones.
The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority announced a “gradual resumption” of flights to selected destinations, with Emirates airline expecting to partially resume operations at 6 am GMT following the attack on a fuel tank near the airport, which fortunately resulted in no injuries.
Some flights were cancelled, and sister airline flydubai temporarily halted operations. Flights were diverted to Al Maktoum International Airport.
Gulf Arab states have experienced over 2000 missile and drone attacks since February 28, targeting US diplomatic missions, military bases, oil infrastructure, as well as residential and commercial areas. The UAE, in particular, has borne the brunt of these attacks despite normalizing relations with Israel in 2020. All Gulf Arab states have condemned Iran for these actions.
On March 11, two drones fell near the international airport, causing damage during the initial Iranian attack across Gulf states.
