Dubai airport resumes some flights after drone attack caused fuel tank blaze

DUBAI – Dubai’s international airport was gradually resuming flights on March 16, the authorities said, after a fire caused by a drone attack forced a temporary suspension, further disrupting traffic in one of the world’s busiest air travel hubs.

The US-Israel war against Iran, now in its third week, has thrown global aviation into turmoil, with flights being cancelled, rescheduled or rerouted, as most Middle East airspace remains shut over fears of missile and drone attacks.

With the Gulf a global crossroads for commercial aviation, the war has disrupted travel, sent fuel charges and ticket prices surging, hit flows of goods such as critical medicines and thrown holiday plans into disarray.

The March 16 incident, causing a fuel tank blaze but no injuries, is the third attack on the Dubai airport since Iran launched assaults on Gulf nations on Febr 28, with strikes Tehran says aim at the US presence in the region.

While the UAE and other Gulf countries host US military facilities, Iran has used missiles and drones to target civilian facilities such as airports, hotels and ports.

Flights in the region are at about half their usual level, though their number has risen since the start of the war.

Drone and missile fire has regularly kept aircraft circling Dubai’s busy airport, heavily affecting Middle East tourism worth about US$367 billion (S$470.28 billion) a year.

Air freight rates have also surged as much as 70 per cent on some routes.

In a statement on X, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority flagged a “gradual resumption” of some flights to selected destinations, the Dubai Media Office said.

The Emirates airline said it expected to partially resume operations at 6am GMT (2pm Singapore time) after the attack, which prompted authorities to divert some flights to the smaller Al Maktoum international airport.

A Reuters reporter on board an Emirates plane from Rome to Dubai observed the disruption, as security concerns forced the aircraft to divert abruptly when it came in to land early on March 16, going instead to the inland city of Al Ain.

The airline told passengers it planned to fly them back to Dubai as the airspace had re-opened.

At one point it said it would arrange a bus for the 130km road trip back to the coastal city.

On its website, Emirates said it had cancelled some flights scheduled for March 16, while sister airline flydubai also halted flights temporarily.

Air India and Air India Express said in a statement flights with Dubai had been cancelled for the day.

Gulf Arab states have faced more than 2,000 missile and drone attacks since Feb 28, with targets including US diplomatic missions and military bases, but also key Gulf oil infrastructure ​as well as homes and offices.

The UAE, which normalised relations with Iran’s arch foe Israel in 2020, has faced the brunt of the attacks.

But all Gulf Arab states have been affected, and all have condemned Iran.

On March 11, two drones fell near the Dubai International Airport, which suffered damage on the first day of the conflict during an overnight Iranian attack across Gulf states. REUTERS