Kamal Ghorui
Flight operations were suspended at Dubai airport after an aerial interception during attacks from Iran.In a video, a huge plume of smoke was seen rising after an object fell near one of the airport’s terminals of the airport after the aerial interception.According to witnesses, a loud explosion was heard followed by a huge cloud of smoke.
The government’s Dubai Media Office, in a social media post, said, “For the safety of passengers, airport staff, and airline crew, operations at Dubai International (DXB) have been temporarily suspended.”Meanwhile, the Flightradar24 tracking website earlier showed planes circling above the airport in an apparent holding pattern.Additionally, Emirates, the largest airline in the Middle East, also announced on Saturday that it was suspending all its flights to and from Dubai until further notice. “Please do not go to the airport,” the airline said.The Dubai government said in a post that there had been “a minor incident resulting from the fall of debris after an interception”, which caused no injuries. It also denied “information circulating on social media regarding incidents at Dubai International Airport”, without elaborating.“The air defences of the United Arab Emirates are currently responding to missile and drone threats coming from Iran,” the Emirati Ministry of Defence said, without specifying the targets of the attacks.Hours after the incident, Dubai airport partially resumed its services. “We have partially resumed operations from today, 7 March, with some flights operating out of DXB and DWC,” it said, referring to Dubai’s main airport as well as the city’s Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International Airport.“Please do not travel to the airport unless you have been contacted by your airline that your flight is confirmed, as schedules continue to change,” it told passengers, after an aerial interception in the area during attacks from Iran forced the airport to suspend operations.Last Saturday, four staff members were injured and a concourse was damaged at Dubai airport, as war erupted following US-Israeli strikes against Iran. Iranian attacks have also hit the upmarket Palm Jumeirah development and the Burj Al Arab luxury hotel, while drone debris caused a fire at the US consulate in Dubai on Tuesday.
