Passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport (DXB) fell 31.3% year over year in the first half of 2026. According to an official announcement from Dubai Airports, the airport handled 31.5 million passengers in the first half and 13 million in the second quarter.

The key point is that a sharp first-half decline and signs of month-by-month recovery in the second quarter were observed at the same time.

Passenger Traffic and Operations Both Declined in the First Half

DXB recorded 150,600 aircraft movements in the first half of 2026, down 32.1% from the previous year. As both passenger traffic and aircraft movements declined, Dubai Airports said that regional airspace restrictions during the first half had affected traffic volumes.

Public-domain image of Dubai International Airport
Dubai International Airport · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Andy Mabbett

The monthly trend showed a change in the second quarter.

  • April: 3.5 million passengers
  • May: 4.5 million passengers
  • June: 5 million passengers

Middle East Conflict and Flight Disruptions

The AP reported that the war involving Iran disrupted air travel, leading some travelers to choose routes that avoided the Middle East. Data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) also indicated that approximately 85% of departures and arrivals at airports in the Gulf region were canceled during the first seven days of March 2026, while fewer than half of scheduled flights operated by the end of March.

However, these data alone cannot be used to calculate the share of DXB’s passenger decline attributable to the war. The available evidence separately shows that regional airspace restrictions and flight disruptions occurred and that DXB’s first-half performance changed, but it does not provide a specific contribution rate linking the two.

It Is Still Too Early to Judge a Full Recovery in the Second Half

The fact that passenger traffic increased in June compared with April can be viewed as a sign of recovery during the second quarter. However, this increase alone cannot establish when a full recovery will occur in the second half. The conclusion supported by the currently available information is that DXB experienced a sharp decline in the first half, while monthly passenger traffic increased during the second quarter.

When assessing these figures, three points should be distinguished:

  1. First-half passenger traffic was 31.5 million, down 31.3% from the same period a year earlier.
  2. Regional airspace restrictions and flight disruptions linked to the Middle East conflict were identified as contributing factors.
  3. Second-quarter passenger traffic increased each month, but normalization in the second half has not yet been confirmed.