Passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport dropped sharply by 66 percent in March following regional conflict and reported Iranian attacks on the United Arab Emirates during the Middle East war, according to the emirate’s media office.

In a statement, Dubai Media Office said traveller numbers at the airport—typically the world’s busiest for international passenger traffic—fell to 2.5 million during the period under review.

The authority attributed the decline to widespread disruption across regional airspace, which it said “significantly constrained airspace capacity and flight schedules.”

Dubai International Airport has long served as a major global aviation hub, but the latest figures reflect the impact of escalating tensions in the region on commercial aviation and passenger movement.

The statement did not provide further operational details but indicated that flight operations were heavily affected by the instability.

Meanwhile, images from the airport showed aircraft activity continuing under constrained conditions, with reports of disrupted flight patterns and reduced traffic volumes. (Arise News)