How quick decisions helped DXB handle airspace closures sparked by '12-day war'

Dubai: Dubai International Airport (DXB) handled a record number of passengers in the first half of 2025, despite escalating tensions that severely impacted the regional aviation industry.

Despite recent geopolitical tensions that led to temporary airspace closures during what was referred to as the ‘12-day war,’ Dubai International (DXB) has demonstrated impressive operational resilience, achieving a record-breaking first half of the year with 46 million passengers, a 2.3 per cent year-on-year increase.

The average monthly passenger traffic at DXB during the January-June period reached approximately 7.7 million, with a daily passenger volume of around 254,000.

But how did Dubai Airports do it?  The airport’s secret sauce in navigating these challenging times? It’s state-of-the-art Airport Operations Control Centre (AOCC).

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, highlighted the AOCC’s pivotal role in mitigating the impact of the disruptions in May and June, which he stated had "very little impact" on overall traffic numbers. Griffiths said that the flights were only down 3.9 per cent and customer numbers 5.5 per cent during the brief period of disruption.

“All credit to our Airport Operations Control Centre, which is the nerve centre of how we make everything smooth at DXB," Griffiths said. "Single point of decision making, all of the data coming together at that AOCC, we are able to make very quick decisions, assemble the scenarios very quickly, and share everything with our stakeholders very quickly,” he added.

This integrated approach, a culmination of over a decade of structural changes and operational refinements, allowed DXB to recover swiftly from the temporary airspace closures.

“I think it has been a very worthwhile exercise to consolidate all of the decision-making into a single point,” he said. “And as AI becomes far more in our DNA, as far as decision-making is concerned, that is going to be even more powerful as a rapid decision-making resource,” Griffiths added.

The impact was minimal. “We had a very small dip in traffic. The number of flights was disrupted very briefly, but I think it’s a real testament to the confidence people have in Dubai and in DXB as a reliable and trustworthy transit hub.”

“The traffic has bounced back quickly, and we’ve seen a record first half as a result. So I think the impact was very localised, very short-lived, and very insignificant in terms of the performance that we’ve seen over the last six months,” Griffiths explained.

DXB has maintained its forecast of 96 million passengers for 2025 and anticipates reaching 100 million in 2026.
While previous quarters often saw upward revisions to forecasts, this quarter’s forecast remained steady. Griffiths attributed this to a “conservative forecast” influenced by the recent incidents in May and June but expressed optimism for potential upward revisions later in the year.

Moreover, “there will be further revisions as the year progresses, and we are still pretty confident that we will hit our forecast numbers, and hopefully we will continue to revise them in an upward direction. Certainly, the signs are good, and I’m very optimistic,” he added.

DXB currently serves 269 direct destinations through 92 airlines, connecting 107 countries. The top country markets for the first half of the year remained consistent: India (5.9 million customers), Saudi Arabia (3.6 million), the UK (3 million), Pakistan (2.1 million), and the US (1.6 million).

While major city destinations like London, Riyadh, and Mumbai continue to see high volumes, there has been notable growth in emerging leisure destinations. Griffiths specifically mentioned Cambodia (up 233 per cent year-on-year), the Czech Republic, and Vietnam as areas experiencing rapid increases in customer traffic.