What happens when one of the world’s busiest international aviation hubs is thrust into crisis?
For Dubai International Airport (DXB), the answer has been a complex choreography of shutdowns, rapid reopenings, and a relentless focus on safety, while ensuring that global connectivity does not grind to a halt.
In an interview conducted 18 days into the disruption, Becky Anderson, CNN Abu Dhabi Managing Editor, spoke with Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, about how the airport has navigated a volatile operating environment marked by regional tensions and security threats.
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At one point, operations at the airport were suspended entirely due to safety and security concerns, a rare and serious move for a hub that typically handles hundreds of thousands of passengers daily.
“Into this. The airport’s on the move. Um. But earlier on, the airport’s operations were suspended. Closed for a period of time,” Anderson said, highlighting the stop-start nature of operations.
Responding to threats in real time
The cornerstone of the airport’s response has been its ability to detect and react to threats as they unfold.
“Well, firstly, the ability to detect and respond to threats as they’ve unfolded have been very, very effective and efficient,” Griffiths said.
This responsiveness has allowed authorities to dynamically adjust operations, closing airspace when necessary, reopening it when safe, and rerouting aircraft through designated corridors.
“We’ve opened it as the threat level has changed and we’ve been able to keep aircraft in the air and obviously to route through corridors that are properly designated by the GCAA across here, and obviously holding aircraft at outstation,” he said.
The strategy has ensured that flights remain airborne when possible, divert safely when needed, and avoid unnecessary congestion at the airport itself.
Despite the operational challenges, Dubai Airport has continued to move passengers at scale.
“We facilitated the journeys of over a million passengers over the last 17 days,” Griffiths said.
While that figure represents a significant drop from normal throughput, recovery has been swift.
“Recovery rate is significant. We’re back up to about 40-45% of normal traffic movements,” he added.
On a typical day, DXB handles around 320,000 passengers. Disruptions to that scale create cascading challenges across the entire travel chain, from check-in and baggage handling to immigration and onward connections.
To manage this, the airport focused heavily on communication and crowd control.
“Well, first of all, when schedules are disrupted and in a normal day, we would handle something like 320,000 customers through DXB. So when that supply chain gets interrupted, it’s incredibly important that we keep people informed, keep people already at the airport safe and secure,” he said.
Authorities also worked to prevent overcrowding by advising passengers to come to the airport only when necessary.
“We dealt with the backlog and got people to the places they needed to be and also provided the information to make sure that people only came to the airport when they needed to be,” he explained.
A calm frontline experience
Despite the turmoil behind the scenes, the passenger experience has remained notably stable.
“The airport has remained calm and composed and the many different comments we’re getting from our customers I think suggests that for the most part we’re doing a reasonably good job,” Griffiths said.
Anderson herself corroborated this assessment based on first-hand experience.
“I used the airport in Abu Dhabi very early on Sunday morning. It was a seamless experience. I flew back into Dubai that same day. I have to say. A seamless experience, very efficient, very effective,” she said.
The continuity of retail operations, including shops and restaurants, has also played a role in maintaining a sense of normalcy for travellers navigating uncertain conditions.
A key element of the recovery strategy has been close coordination with other airports across the region.
“So what we’ve done is we’ve worked closely with all of the other airports in the region to make sure that the number of flights is carefully scheduled and predicted in advance,” Griffiths said.
This collaborative approach has allowed for optimised use of limited airspace capacity, helping reduce delays and maximise the number of flights that can operate safely.
“That has enabled us to minimise delays and to get as many people moving as we possibly can,” he added.
The invisible engine: Aviation’s complex ecosystem
Beyond flights and passengers lies a vast and intricate ecosystem that must function seamlessly, even under stress.
“Operational recovery isn’t just about restoring flights. It’s about ensuring the stability and security of the entire ecosystem,” Anderson said.
Griffiths emphasised the sheer scale of coordination required.
“If you look at the fact that, from when an aircraft takes off from an overseas origin and lands here in Dubai, the amount of steps in that journey and the number of people and different organisations involved is quite incredible,” he said.
Stakeholders include air traffic controllers, government agencies, airlines, ground handling companies, civil defense units, and even airport retailers.
“The liaison we’ve had with air traffic controllers, with all of the different government organizations that have managed to keep all those airways open and yet safe and secure, has been incredible,” he said.
He added that even supply chains within the airport, such as food and retail, have remained resilient.
“The retailers that have kept the food in our restaurants and bars here in the airport… everyone has played an incredible part,” he said.
Airlines, insurance, and industry pressure
The crisis has also exposed vulnerabilities within the global aviation industry, particularly around insurance and risk management.
“There are airlines who have suspended flights… What is your message to the aviation industry at this point?” Anderson asked.
“I think most of the problem has been insurance,” Griffiths said.
He pointed to the need for government support to sustain airline operations during periods of heightened risk.
“If foreign governments would underwrite… the operation of their airlines to the UAE, then obviously we’ll do everything we can to facilitate those,” he said.
Balancing demand within limits
With limited capacity, questions have emerged about whether certain airlines, particularly home carrier Emirates, are being prioritised.
“We’re not turning anyone away that wants to mount an operation,” Griffiths said. However, constraints remain unavoidable.
“Obviously, with the limited capacity, particularly through the air corridors, we’ve got to do things to limit the delays,” he added.
The real test of resilience came when a nearby fuel tank incident, caused by either a rocket or debris, triggered fires close to the airport.
“Well, the first thing, obviously, is safety and security,” Griffiths said. Emergency response systems were activated immediately.
“The civil defence were there within minutes to contain the situation, and the normal operation I think resumed fairly shortly thereafter,” he said.
Dubai’s strategic importance in global aviation adds urgency to its recovery.
“The aviation ecosystem in the Middle East is incredibly important to the world,” Griffiths said.
“The world cannot do without that. I mean, one third of the world’s population is within four hours flying time of Dubai and two thirds within eight hours flying time.”
This geographic advantage makes DXB not just a regional hub, but a critical node in global connectivity.
While operations have stabilised, the path back to full capacity depends on broader geopolitical developments.
“When the missiles stop… how quickly can you bounce back to normal operations?” Anderson asked.
“We are doing everything we can to preserve both the capability and the confidence to bring our operations up to 100 per cent capacity as quickly as we possibly can,” Griffiths said.
He remains confident in the airport’s resilience. “We will bounce back from the current situation very, very quickly. Of that I’m very, very convinced,” he added.
