Dubai’s international airport was gradually resuming flights on March 16, the authorities said, after a fire caused by a drone attack forced a temporary suspension, further disrupting traffic in one of the world’s busiest air travel hubs.
The US-Israel war against Iran, now in its third week, has thrown global aviation into turmoil, with flights being cancelled, rescheduled or rerouted, as most Middle East airspace remains shut over fears of missile and drone attacks.
With the Gulf a global crossroads for commercial aviation, the war has disrupted travel, sent fuel charges and ticket prices surging, hit flows of goods such as critical medicines and thrown holiday plans into disarray.
The March 16 incident, causing a fuel tank blaze but no injuries, is the third attack on the Dubai airport since Iran launched assaults on Gulf nations on Febr 28, with strikes Tehran says aim at the US presence in the region.
While the UAE and other Gulf countries host US military facilities, Iran has used missiles and drones to target civilian facilities such as airports, hotels and ports.
Flights in the region are at about half their usual level, though their number has risen since the start of the war.
