Passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport plummeted during the second quarter, officials said Wednesday, after the regional conflict involving Iran disrupted air travel and forced travelers to choose flight paths avoiding the Middle East.
The aviation hub handled 13 million passengers in the second quarter, bringing its total for the first half to 31.5 million. That represents a 31.3% decline compared with the first half of 2025, according to the airport.
Flight operations across the United Arab Emirates and the wider Gulf faced closures and restrictions after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. Dubai airport sustained minor damage during Iranian strikes.
Total aircraft movements reached 150,600 over the first half—a 32.1% annual drop—with 62,500 movements recorded in the second quarter.
CEO Paul Griffiths noted, however, that passenger volume grew steadily each month during the second quarter, adding that this momentum is expected to continue.
"The events of the disruption, which lasted two months, that had an impact on traffic," Griffiths told The Associated Press. "However, the trajectory now is universally positive."
He said the airport is awaiting foreign carriers, particularly from Europe, to restart their flights.
"I'm very confident we'll be back to full operation in a very short space of time," he said.
Iran war rages
The conflict between the U.S. and Iran is still raging and the crucial Strait of Hormuz remained closed despite Tehran agreeing on a temporary transit route through the key waterway with Oman.
“The understanding between Iran and Oman does not mean the opening of the Strait of Hormuz,” deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said.
The statement came as Trump threatened to launch new strikes on a nuclear site, as well as Iranian military ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed President Donald Trump's new campaign of economic pressure on Iran but said that a diplomatic deal with Iran does not seem possible, according to AFP.
On Tuesday evening, the leader said: “I doubt, however, that an agreement can be reached with that group there, with those savages. I tell you — an agreement cannot be reached.”
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