Dubai International Airport, one of the world’s busiest hubs, said Wednesday it saw a sharp drop in passengers during the second quarter as the Iran war disrupted air travel and prompted many travellers to choose routes that avoided the Middle East.

The airport recorded 13 million passengers during the second quarter, following 31.5 million passengers in the first half. That was a 31.3 per cent drop over passenger traffic in the first half of 2025, the airport said.

Air traffic in the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere in the Gulf region was disrupted by shutdowns and restrictions after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. The Dubai airport itself suffered minor damage in attacks from Iran.

Aircraft movements totaled 150,600 in the first half, down 32.1 per cent year on year, with only 62,500 in the second quarter, the airport said.

CEO Paul Griffiths noted, however, there has been a steady increase in passenger volume each month in the second quarter, and said the momentum is expected to continue.

“The events of the disruption, which lasted two months, that had an impact on traffic,” Griffiths told The Associated Press. “However, the trajectory now is universally positive.”

He said the airport was waiting for overseas airlines, particularly from Europe, to restart operations.

“I’m very confident we’ll be back to full operation in a very short space of time,” he said.