Dubai International Airport (DXB) on Saturday announced that it was suspending all operations temporarily after an aerial interception in the area during attacks from Iran. “For the safety of passengers, airport staff, and airline crew, operations at Dubai International (DXB) have been temporarily suspended,” the government’s Dubai Media Office said in a social media post.
The announcement was made after an aerial interception of an object near the airport, which was initially reported as “an explosion.”
“Dubai authorities have confirmed that a minor incident resulting from the fall of debris after an interception has been successfully contained. No injuries have been reported,” the Dubai Media Office had said.
The Flightradar24 tracking website earlier showed planes circling above the airport in an apparent holding pattern.
Emirates suspends flights
Earlier on Saturday, Emirates, the largest airline in the Middle East, announced that it was suspending all its flights to and from Dubai until further notice.
“Please do not go to the airport,” the airline said.
“Emirates will share updates when available. We would like to thank our customers for their understanding and patience.
The safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority and will not be compromised,” it said in a social media post.
Resumed on Monday after previous strike
Flights from Dubai’s main airport had partially resumed on Monday despite daily drone attacks targeting sites in the United Arab Emirates.
Last Saturday, four employees were injured and a terminal was damaged at Dubai airport as war broke out in the Middle East following US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Operator Dubai Airports said at the time that the incident had been “quickly brought under control”, without providing details.
