The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has activated measures to manage disrupted passenger traffic amid the US and Israel war on Iran, which has led to airspace closures in the Middle East since February 28.
According to OAG’s 2025 Megahubs report, Dubai International Airport ranks 15th among the world’s Top 50 Global Airport Megahubs, operating more than 46,000 connections to 280 destinations worldwide. It is also the busiest airport in both the UAE and the Middle East.
The GCAA has accelerated rescheduling processes, stepped up ground resources across passenger terminals to resolve congestions, and moved to provide affected passengers with welfare support.
News reports state that the GCAA is committed to shouldering the cost of assisting and accommodating affected travellers.
UAE carriers Emirates, Etihad and FlyDubai continue to maintain a flight suspension at press time, which impacts their services beyond the Middle East.
“Ongoing Middle East airport and airspace closures – particularly at Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi Airports, the region’s busiest hubs – are causing significant disruption to international travel,” said Mayur Patel, regional commercial and industry affairs leader, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, OAG Aviation.
“As a critical east-west transit gateway linking Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, any suspension of operations at these hubs leads to widespread cancellations, longer rerouted flight paths, aircraft and crew displacement, and missed onward connections. The impact extends beyond passengers to cargo flows and airline economics, with higher operating costs and network instability likely to persist even after airspace reopens, as carriers work through the backlog and reposition assets across their global schedules.”
News reports as of March 1 morning stated that airports across the Middle East, including Dubai International Airport, Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, and Kuwait International Airport, have suffered collateral damage from Iranian retaliatory attacks against US military bases in regional countries.
Editor’s note: This news brief has been updated with OAG Aviation’s observations.
