Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
(26 Aug 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dubai, United Arab Emirates- 26 August 2026
1. Exterior of Terminal 3 at Dubai Airport
2. Passengers arriving to departure terminal
3. UAE flag
4. Passengers at the Departure terminal
5. SOUNDBITE (English), Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports:
“The events of the disruption, which lasted two months, that had an impact on traffic. However, the trajectory now is universally positive. If you look at our two home-based carriers, Emirates and Fly Dubai, their recovery in terms of capacity is in the 90s and percentile terms, and customers are not far behind that. So, that witnessing growth which suggests they'll be back to normal very, very shortly. We're just waiting for the overseas airlines, particularly from Europe, to restart operations and I'm very confident we'll be back to full operation in a very short space of time. Q3 and Q4 will be very strong for us and we're recovering growth incredibly quickly.”
6. Passengers heading to the smart gates
7. Close of Sign reading in Arabic and English “Departure gates, Smart Gates”
8. SOUNDBITE (English), Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports:
“The network that we operate here in the Gulf is incredibly resilient and is a significant volume. Close to 100 million people transit through Gulf airports and we have 45% of that market. And that hasn't actually changed. The split between people visiting or living in Dubai or transiting through the airport is roughly 50-50, which shows huge confidence in the ongoing operations that we serve here. So, as a force for global aviation, we are completely undeterred.”
9. Passengers passing near Departure screens
10. Close of screens
11. SOUNDBITE (English), Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports:
“The investment in the future continues. Already 10 million work hours in the last 15 months have been invested in our new airport, DWC, Al Maktoum International. 17,000 piles have been put into the ground, and we've got 45 million cubic meters of earth have already been moved, so. You don't need to look much further than that to know that we're absolutely committed to be a force for international aviation for a long time in the future.”
12. Various of passengers arriving
13. Top shot of arriving terminal
STORYLINE:
The CEO of Dubai Airports, one of the world’s busiest hubs, said Wednesday there was a sharp drop in passengers during the second quarter as the war with Iran 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, for a 31.3% drop in first-half traffic over the same period last year with 31.5 million passengers overall.
“The events of the disruption, which lasted two months, that had an impact on traffic. However, the trajectory now is universally positive. If you look at our two home-based carriers, Emirates and Fly Dubai, their recovery in terms of capacity is in the 90s and percentile terms, and customers are not far behind that. So, that witnessing growth which suggests they'll be back to normal very, very shortly, " said Paul Griffiths, the CEO of the two commercial airports in Dubai.
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 to start the ongoing war. The airport itself suffered minor damage in attacks from Iran.
Aircraft movements totalled 150,600 in the first half, down 32.1% year on year, with only 62,500 in the second quarter.
AP Video shot by: Bassam Hatoum
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(26 Aug 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dubai, United Arab Emirates- 26 August 2026
1. Exterior of Terminal 3 at Dubai Airport
2. Passengers arriving to departure terminal
3. UAE flag
4. Passengers at the Departure terminal
5. SOUNDBITE (English), Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports:
“The events of the disruption, which lasted two months, that had an impact on traffic. However, the trajectory now is universally positive. If you look at our two home-based carriers, Emirates and Fly Dubai, their recovery in terms of capacity is in the 90s and percentile terms, and customers are not far behind that. So, that witnessing growth which suggests they'll be back to normal very, very shortly. We're just waiting for the overseas airlines, particularly from Europe, to restart operations and I'm very confident we'll be back to full operation in a very short space of time. Q3 and Q4 will be very strong for us and we're recovering growth incredibly quickly.”
6. Passengers heading to the smart gates
7. Close of Sign reading in Arabic and English “Departure gates, Smart Gates”
8. SOUNDBITE (English), Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports:
“The network that we operate here in the Gulf is incredibly resilient and is a significant volume. Close to 100 million people transit through Gulf airports and we have 45% of that market. And that hasn't actually changed. The split between people visiting or living in Dubai or transiting through the airport is roughly 50-50, which shows huge confidence in the ongoing operations that we serve here. So, as a force for global aviation, we are completely undeterred.”
9. Passengers passing near Departure screens
10. Close of screens
11. SOUNDBITE (English), Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports:
“The investment in the future continues. Already 10 million work hours in the last 15 months have been invested in our new airport, DWC, Al Maktoum International. 17,000 piles have been put into the ground, and we've got 45 million cubic meters of earth have already been moved, so. You don't need to look much further than that to know that we're absolutely committed to be a force for international aviation for a long time in the future.”
12. Various of passengers arriving
13. Top shot of arriving terminal
STORYLINE:
The CEO of Dubai Airports, one of the world’s busiest hubs, said Wednesday there was a sharp drop in passengers during the second quarter as the war with Iran 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, for a 31.3% drop in first-half traffic over the same period last year with 31.5 million passengers overall.
“The events of the disruption, which lasted two months, that had an impact on traffic. However, the trajectory now is universally positive. If you look at our two home-based carriers, Emirates and Fly Dubai, their recovery in terms of capacity is in the 90s and percentile terms, and customers are not far behind that. So, that witnessing growth which suggests they'll be back to normal very, very shortly, " said Paul Griffiths, the CEO of the two commercial airports in Dubai.
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 to start the ongoing war. The airport itself suffered minor damage in attacks from Iran.
Aircraft movements totalled 150,600 in the first half, down 32.1% year on year, with only 62,500 in the second quarter.
AP Video shot by: Bassam Hatoum
Find out more about AP Archive: aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: instagram.com/APNews
You can license this story through AP Archive: aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/ddd2e96f6a7f46bf812c1259b20e132d
