Dubai airport capacity has recovered to 84 per cent of pre-Iran war levels, while passenger traffic has reached 78 per cent, Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said on Thursday, September 10.
Griffiths said Dubai could handle 100 million passengers a year by the end of 2027. The number of cities with direct connections to Dubai is also expected to exceed 240 by the middle of 2027.
India, Saudi Arabia and the UK remain the leading source markets, with passenger demographics broadly unchanged from before the war.
Speaking at an international media briefing hosted by the Dubai Media Office (DMO), Griffiths said Dubai Airports had dealt with 111 threat alerts and 17 ballistic missile strikes during the regional conflict this year.
There were no deaths, while all those injured have recovered, Griffiths said. Most injuries were minor and occurred as people rushed towards shelters during alerts.
“Most of them were just falling over each other in the early stages when they actually were running too quickly to get to shelter,” he said.
The UAE was among the Gulf countries targeted by Iran following US and Israeli strikes on Iranian territory. Dubai International Airport was also targeted by Iranian drones.
Passenger traffic rebounds
Passenger traffic dropped to 2.5 million in March before rising to 5 million in June and 6.3 million in July. The July figure was 26 per cent higher than the previous month.
Dubai Airports handled 31.5 million passengers in the first half of the year and is projected to record about 70 million for the full year. It handled 95.2 million passengers last year.
Griffiths described the rebound as a “trampoline bounce”, reflecting the sharp recovery after the disruption.
He credited the UAE government’s communication during the crisis with helping airport authorities respond quickly and protect passengers and staff. He also praised the country’s air defence systems.
Israel warns Iran
The recovery in Dubai came as Israel and Iran continued to exchange threats.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that any Iranian attack on Israel, regardless of the reason or location, would draw a powerful Israeli response.
In a video statement, Katz warned that retaliation could cause unprecedented damage to Iran, including possible strikes on major energy facilities.
He said the Israeli military was prepared to act and warned that an attack could set Iran back by decades.
Katz’s remarks followed comments by Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Hassan Zazadeh, who said Iranian forces were ready for rapid offensive operations and could deploy across the country.
The latest exchange followed US President Donald Trump’s warning on Wednesday, September 9, that Washington could launch a strong strike against Iran if activity continued at a new nuclear facility near Natanz in the Jabal al-Fas area.
Speaking at the Republican National Convention in Dallas, Trump said the US was observing “minor activity” at the site and warned Tehran against what he called “tricks”.
