Dubai International Airport’s passenger traffic fell sharply in March after Iran’s attacks on the United Arab Emirates disrupted regional airspace during the Middle East war, according to official statements.

Passenger numbers at the airport dropped to 2.5 million in March, down 66 per cent from a year earlier, the Dubai Media Office said on Monday. The airport, typically the world’s busiest for international passenger traffic, faced what officials described as a period of severe regional disruption that significantly constrained airspace capacity and flight schedules.

Dubai International was targeted several times by drones as the UAE came under attack in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes on Iran, adding to the pressure on one of the Gulf’s busiest aviation hubs.

The disruption also weighed on quarterly performance. Passenger traffic in the first quarter of 2026 fell 21 per cent to 18.6 million. Dubai International had handled a record 95.2 million passengers last year and was initially expecting traffic to reach 99.5 million in 2026 before the conflict disrupted regional travel.

Dubai Airports Chief Executive Officer Paul Griffiths said the events of recent weeks were unprecedented for any major global airport hub.

With UAE airspace now fully restored, Dubai Airports is ramping up operations and increasing flight movements in line with available regional routing capacity, Griffiths said.

The UAE aviation authority said over the weekend that air traffic had returned to normal after precautionary measures introduced on February 28 at the start of the conflict were lifted.

Despite the setback, airport authorities said demand for travel through Dubai remains strong, and the airport is well placed to gradually rebuild capacity as regional conditions stabilize.