Dubai Airports To 'Scale Up Operations' As UAE Airspace Restrictions Lifted

[Editor's Note: Follow the Khaleej Times live blog for the latest regional developments with the US-Israel-Iran ceasefire now in effect.]

Dubai Airports said it is "moving decisively to scale up operations, increasing flight movements in line with available regional routing capacity." This comes after UAE General Civil Aviation Authority's announcement of air traffic returning to normal.

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UAE first partially closed its airspace on February 28, as the country took precautionary measures to protect flights, air crews and the nation's territory amid the US-Israel-Iran war.

After the country lifted all precautionary restrictions on airspace on May 2, Dubai Airports said it has entered the next phase of recovery operations.

The entity will increase daily flight movements and enable airlines to progressively restore schedules. Capacity is now primarily aligned to the availability of regional flight paths outside of the UAE, with "ongoing coordination to optimise flows across neighbouring airspace", according to a statement.

Amid regional disruption across the travel industry, Dubai International Airport (DXB) "continued to sustain global connectivity," even as airspace capacity and flight schedules were constrained, the authority said.

Here's a snapshot of airport statistics during an unprecedented period for the region:

Since February 28, 6 million guests, over 32,000 aircraft movements, and 213,000 tonnes of essential cargo transported through Dubai's airports as of April 30.

Q1 2026 - DXB welcomed 18.6 million guests, down 20.6 per cent year on year.

Passenger traffic in March at 2.5 million, down 65.7 per cent year on year.

Cargo volumes reached 399,600 tonnes in Q1 2026 at DXB, down 22.7 per cent; 66,000 tonnes handled in March. Aircraft movements totalled 88,000, a 20.8 per cent decline from same period last year.

17.6 million bags processed at DXB during Q1 2026, including 2.6 million in March, with a mishandled baggage rate of 3.5 per 1,000 passengers, compared to 1.95 per 1,000 passengers in the same period last year.

India was DXB's largest country market with 2.5 million guests, followed by Saudi Arabia at 1.3 million, UK at 1.2 million, and Pakistan at 918,000.

London remained DXB's busiest city destination with 752,000 guests, followed by Mumbai at 520,000, and Jeddah at 505,000 guests.

Feb 28: UAE announced temporary, partial closure of the country's airspace as an "exceptional precautionary measure" after US and Israel launched strikes on Iran.

Feb 28: Dubai Airports suspends operations until further notice; Abu Dhabi Airports announces expected flight diversions, cancellations. Sharjah also suspends all flights. Airlines follow suit, making similar announcements

March 2: Sharjah Airport, Abu Dhabi Airports, DXB, Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), and Ras Al Khaimah International Airport (RKT) resume limited flight operations

March 2: UAE's GCAA announced the start of exceptional flight operations at airports to allow stranded passengers to depart

March 7: Dubai Airports announces partial resumption of services in the afternoon, after operations temporarily suspended at DXB earlier in the day

March 13: GCAA says UAE's national carriers have achieved 44.6 per cent recovery in operating levels. Between March 1 and 12, 1.4 million passengers were handled by the country's airport.

March 16: Gradual resumption of select flights to and from DXB following a temporary suspension after drone-related incident impacted one of the fuel tanks in the vicinity of the airport and caused a fire. Some DXB flights diverted to Al Maktoum Airport.

March 17: UAE announces temporary, full closure of airspace; restrictions lifted soon after in the early morning hours

April 9: UAE detects no missiles, confirms airspace free of threats

April 24: UAE airlines surpass 1,000 flights a day for first time since Middle East war started

May 2: UAE confirms air traffic returns to normal, all restrictions lifted

"International transfer traffic through the Middle East region accounts for a major share of the global air travel market, with 22.4 million annual passenger journeys flowing through DXB, representing one third of the transfer traffic across the region's hubs," said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.

Of the 99.3 million transferring passengers whose journeys could route through the Middle East, the region captures around 70 per cent, with DXB handling 32 per cent of that traffic, he added. Griffiths predicted that the segment is expected to recover quickly, as the demand "cannot be readily absorbed elsewhere."

The authority said it is working with airlines to continue increasing capacity, as DXB can accommodate further growth in the months ahead. Meanwhile, DWC's long-term expansion plans also contribute to Dubai's growth as an aviation hub.

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