Dubai airport passenger numbers fall nearly a third in first half of 2026

Dubai International Airport handled 31.5 million passengers in the first six months of 2026, down 31.3 percent from the same period a year earlier, according to figures released by the airport.

The airport attributed the decline mainly to restrictions on regional airspace stemming from the conflict involving Iran. Disruption was worst earlier in the period. Conditions improved through the second quarter, the airport said, with monthly passenger totals climbing from 3.5 million in April to 5 million in June.

Flight movements over the half-year fell 32.1 percent to 150,600. Cargo throughput dropped too, down 28.7 percent to 751,340 tonnes.

Even with the downturn, the airport remained a major international hub. Close to 50 foreign carriers were operating flights from Dubai International as of the end of June, serving 217 destinations across 99 countries.

The airport gave no further explanation for the scale of the drop beyond the airspace restrictions, and it did not say how quickly traffic might return to prior levels.