The Gulf airports, normally so talkative about their traffic records, are very quiet since the start of the war between Iran and the United StatesNo information is leaking about the decline that has affected them since Iran began sending drones to its neighbours' infrastructure.
Only one airport broke the silence this week: Dubai International, which finally released some figures on the occasion of the full restoration of airspace by the Emirati authorities.
Between the start of hostilities on 28 February and 30 April, Dubai's airports remained operational despite the constraints, ensuring the safe passage of 6 million passengers, over 32,000 aircraft movements, and 213,000 tonnes of cargo. Emirates alone stated it transported 4.7 million passengers during this period.
In a statement, the airport management indicated that it had maintained this activity under constantly evolving conditions, with schedules, passenger flows, and ground services adapted to the available airspace. This has been achieved despite severe constraints.
The Gulf War, however, had a significant impact on the airport’s operations. Dubai International handled 18.6 million passengers in the first quarter of 2026, representing a 20.6% year-on-year decline in passenger numbers compared with the same period in 2025. Passenger traffic in March was in fact disastrous in terms of numbers: down 65.71% compared with March 2025, representing 2.5 million passengers.
Nevertheless, in the first quarter, the airport indicates that India remained the busiest market with 2.5 million passengers, followed by Saudi Arabia with 1.3 million, the United Kingdom with 1.2 million, and Pakistan with 918,000. London remained the busiest destination from Dubai with 752,000 passengers, followed by Mumbai with 520,000 and Jeddah with 505,000 passengers.
The Gulf generates close to 100 million transfer passengers.
With the full restoration of UAE airspace, Dubai Airports is working to increase its operations, scaling up aircraft movements in line with available regional routing capacities.
For Paul Griffiths, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Airports, " The events of the past few weeks have been unprecedented for a major airport hub like Dubai International. International transit traffic through the Middle East represents a significant share of the global air transport market..
In fact, of the 99 million passengers who pass through this region of the world, Dubai alone accounts for 22.4 million annual journeys.
As for Emirates, it reports that by early May it had restored 96.1% of its global network, gradually resuming services across all continents. The airline serves 137 destinations across 72 countries, with over 1,300 weekly flights, representing 75% of its pre-crisis capacity.
