Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths on Missile Attacks and Recovery
In April 2026, the United Arab Emirates experienced a series of missile and drone attacks that resulted in significant disruptions to air travel, causing many international airlines to divert flights to airports in Asia. As a consequence, Dubai International Airport's passenger traffic plummeted to 31.5 million in the first half of 2026, a 31.3% decrease compared to the previous year. However, numbers began to rebound, rising from 3.5 million passengers in April to 5 million by June. Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths reported 111 missile alerts and is pushing forward a refueling initiative at Al Maktoum International, aiming for the completion of long-term plans by 2032.
Key facts
- In April 2026, missile and drone strikes hit the UAE, grounding flights and causing foreign airlines to reroute.
- Dubai International Airport passenger numbers fell to 31.5 million in H1 2026, a 31.3% drop year-on-year.
- Traffic recovered from 3.5 million in April to 5 million in June 2026.
- Paul Griffiths is CEO of Dubai Airports, operating DXB and DWC.
- The airport experienced 111 ballistic alerts and developed a 'splash and dash' refuelling contingency.
- Traffic is back to about 80% of last year's levels, with Emirates and Flydubai at 90% of 2025 figures.
- Air France has resumed services with strong load factors; some European airlines remain absent due to travel advisories.
- The 2032 timeline for building the world's largest airport at DWC remains unchanged.
- 17,000 concrete piles have been placed and 45 million cubic metres of earth moved at DWC.
Entities
Institutions
- Dubai Airports
- Dubai International Airport (DXB)
- Al Maktoum International (DWC)
- Emirates
- Flydubai
- Air France
- Monocle
- Monocle Radio
- The Globalist
Locations
- Dubai
- United Arab Emirates
- Seoul
- Singapore
- Istanbul
- Spain
- Greece
- Italy
- Gulf
Sources
- Monocle —