Dubai airport resumes partial operations after missile scare

The world’s busiest international airport has resumed partial operations after a suspension caused by debris falling in its airspace. Dubai International, which carried 95.2 million passengers in 2025, was closed briefly on Saturday, 7 March 2026, due to the interception of an Iranian airstrike that witnesses said caused an explosion and smoke near the hub.

The airport is currently operating incomplete schedules due to the security crisis affecting the Middle East since military hostilities broke out between the United States, Israel, and Iran on 28 February. Authorities in Dubai confirmed “a minor incident resulting from the fall of debris after an interception,” on 7 March. Dubai’s Media Office said on social media: “For the safety of passengers, airport staff, and airline crew, operations at Dubai International (DXB) have been temporarily suspended.”

Incoming aircraft were forced to maintain holding patterns above the airport during the closure. But the suspension was quickly followed by an update from the airport. “We have partially resumed operations from today, 7 March, with some flights operating out of DXB and DWC [Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International],” a statement said. 

Despite the resumption, the hub has urged passengers not to travel speculatively to the airport without a verified onward journey. “Please do not travel to the airport unless you have been contacted by your airline that your flight is confirmed, as schedules continue to change,” it said.

While authorities in the city state were quick to imply the destruction of the Iranian missile could be seen as proof that “the air defenses of the United Arab Emirates are currently responding to missile and drone threats coming from Iran,” the security incident is not the first Dubai International has endured since the beginning of the current hostilities. Four airport staff were reportedly injured by Iranian drone attacks that some said were targeting the hub on the first day of US strikes on Tehran.

Nonetheless, the region’s biggest airline, Emirates, has expressed confidence that its operations will soon return to normal. “The airline anticipates a return to 100 per cent of its network within the coming days, subject to airspace availability and the fulfilment of all operational requirements,” the carrier said on X.

Though the target of Iranian strikes has not been clarified, other nearby destinations frequented by international visitors, such as Abu Dhabi airport, the upscale Burj Al Arab hotel, and the Palm Jumeirah archipelago of artificial islands. The Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has apologised for the attacks on Gulf neighbours at the same time as threatening any states that allow themselves to be used as a base for US-Israeli attacks.