Dubai Airports scaling up operations as UAE airspace restored: CEO

DUBAI: Dubai Airports' operations and flights are being ramped up now that United Arab Emirates airspace is fully clear, with capacity increasing in line with available routing, CEO Paul Griffiths said on Monday (May 4).

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 six 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.

"The extraordinary events of the past few weeks are unprecedented for any major airport hub," Griffiths said.

"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," he added.

Before the war broke out and Gulf airspace closures disrupted traffic for nearly two months, DXB was expected to handle close to 100 million passengers this year, its operator said on Feb 11.

Dubai International was targeted several times by drones as the oil-rich UAE bore the brunt of Iran's retaliation for US-Israeli strikes.

The airport's passenger traffic plunged by two-thirds in March, the emirate's media office said on Monday.

Traveller numbers at Dubai International, usually the world's busiest for international passenger traffic, sank to 2.5 million, down 66 per cent year-on-year, Dubai Media Office said.