As conflict spread across the Middle East over the past two months, civilian airports have been on the front line. Air strikes have been reported on and around airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Lebanon, Iran and Kuwait.
In most cases, airlines and local authorities have maintained services. They have done this through adaptation, innovation and – according to one pilots’ union – a greater acceptance of risk.
But the strain on the region’s major hubs could have far-reaching effects for travellers across the globe, affecting capacity, prices and the “Gulf model” of international transport – even if the current fragile ceasefire holds.
Some of the world’s busiest airports have been targeted during the war between Israel, the US and Iran.
Dubai International Airport, the second busiest in the world with more than 95 million passengers a year, was briefly shut down on 16 March after an Iranian drone hit a fuel tank, sparking a blaze and forcing planes to reroute.
At least two other attacks have been reported on the vast complex.
A strike on neighbouring Abu Dhabi’s Zayed airport, meanwhile, killed one and injured seven on 1 March, while Qatar and Saudi Arabia have also reported attacks on their main international airports. The three destinations handle a combined total of more than 130 million passengers per year.
The aftermath of an Iranian drone strike on Kuwait’s international airport on 25 March, 2026 (Photo: AP)Iran has also attacked Israel’s Ben Gurion airport and Kuwait’s main international hub, while Israel has hit several Iranian airports and launched strikes around the site of Lebanon’s main airport in Beirut.
In most cases, drones and missiles have not been enough to shut down airport services for long.
Adapting to the threat
Approaches and risk appetites have varied across the region since the latest conflict began. While Kuwait fully suspended flights and has yet to resume services, despite the ceasefire, Dubai sought to maintain as much of its schedule as possible and has actually scaled up following the ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran.
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai International Airport, said that services were operating at more than 40 per cent of capacity at the height of the conflict despite repeated attacks on the facility.
He said this was achieved by responding swiftly to threats as they arise – which are alerted through Notice to Air Missions (NOTAMS) from national aviation authorities – and the use of specialised corridors and dispersed fleets.
A Middle East Airlines aircraft taking off from Beirut International Airport after an Israeli air strike on 17 March, 2026 (Photo: Ibrahim Amro/AFP/Getty)“We’ve closed airspace, we’ve opened it as the threat level has changed,” Griffiths told CNN. “We’ve been able to keep aircraft in the air and obviously to route through corridors that are properly designated by the (UAE General Civil Aviation Authority) and holding aircraft at outstation airports so they can be safely diverted if there is a threat.”
In Lebanon, where Israeli strikes are ongoing despite the ceasefire with Iran, aviation authorities are working around attacks in order to maintain services.
Mohammed Aziz, head of Lebanon’s Civil Aviation Authority, told Global Finance magazine: “Most of the time, Israel announces where they want to bomb, especially if it’s around Beirut. Second, we can see on the radar if there are planes coming in for bombardment.”
“They also know when a civilian aircraft is coming in, and they try to avoid it,” he added. “Only once or twice did they come during a civilian operation. We had to hold the aircraft in the air until they finished their job before landing.”
Lebanon’s national carrier, Middle East Airlines, “consider it a duty to maintain the link between Lebanon and the outside world,” he added.
Image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite shows impact of the strike on Kuwait’s airport (Photo: European Space Agency)Israel’s Ben Gurion International imposed limits of 15 outbound flights per day and 50 passengers per plane at the height of fighting, restrictions that have been eased since the ceasefire. But some pilots are said to be unhappy flying through active warzones.
The International Federation of Air Line Pilot’ Associations said last week that members must be given the “final and non-negotiable” decision whether to fly in a conflict zone without influence of “commercial pressures.”
The industry body also reported that pilots fear they will face retribution if they refuse flight assignments over safety concerns.
Looking ahead to the global implications
While Middle East airlines and travel hubs continue to be affected by the war, the impact will likely be felt by passengers worldwide.
Airports in places like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, with their convenient location between major markets such as the US, Europe, and Asia, are global centres for connecting flights, spawning the so-called Gulf Model. More than half of passengers arriving at the three largest Gulf airports are there to catch connection flights, according to aviation data firm OAG.
More travelers are now using alternative connection hubs such as Istanbul or Singapore, or flying direct, which can mean higher costs without the economy-of-scale the established Gulf routes offer.
Smoke rising from the Dubai International Airport after a drone strike on on 7 March, 2026 (Photo: / AFP via Getty Images)The Gulf dip is already hitting global flight capacity, according to industry analysts. The International Bureau of Aviation (IBA) Group reported over the Easter period that long-haul flight capacity from Europe was down by 4.1 per cent year on year, with “the most significant driver of this decline” a fall in Middle East services, where capacity dropped by 28.5 per cent.
Capacity issues add to the challenges for travelers, who are also facing surging fuel prices driven by the conflict and blockage of energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
IBA figures found that spot prices for jet fuel had risen as high as $1,850 (£1,364) a tonne, more than double the pre-war figure, with some of these additional costs being passed on to passengers.
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