Drone Attack on Oil Tanks Near Dubai Airport Triggers Flight Suspensions, DXB Flights Rerouted on Large Scale

Gate News reports that on March 16, near Dubai International Airport in the UAE, a drone attack occurred early Monday morning. One drone struck a fuel tank near the airport, causing a fire that led to the temporary suspension of flights. Several international flights were diverted or returned, and regional air traffic was disrupted again.

According to the Dubai Media Office, by around 5:10 a.m. local time, firefighters had successfully controlled the fire, and no injuries were reported. However, for safety reasons, the airport quickly took emergency measures to suspend flight operations.

Subsequently, Dubai International Airport announced on social media that all flights were temporarily halted to ensure the safety of passengers and staff. Meanwhile, Emirates also advised travelers not to go to the airport at this time, and all flights to and from Dubai were temporarily suspended.

Dubai Airports, which manages airport operations, stated that some flights had been rerouted to Al Maktoum International Airport to ease airspace congestion and maintain limited air transport capacity.

Flight tracking platform Flightradar24 showed that at the time of the incident, several flights scheduled to land at Dubai International Airport were diverted to Al Maktoum Airport, and some flights from the UK and India heading to Dubai turned back to their origin.

This drone incident occurs amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East. Since the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran on February 28, Iran has carried out retaliatory actions against U.S. military facilities in the Gulf region, continuing to impact regional airspace.

Over the past two weeks, Dubai International Airport has repeatedly suspended flights due to drone threats or aerial debris alerts, resulting in thousands of cancellations or delays. Although airlines have attempted to gradually resume operations, the unstable situation has made flight schedules difficult to stabilize.

Additionally, international airlines such as British Airways have announced the temporary cancellation of flights to and from Middle Eastern cities including Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, and Tel Aviv. These routes are expected to be reassessed for resumption later this month.