Flights Suspended At Dubai Airport After Iranian Drone Strike Hits Fuel Tank

Dubai International Airport has announced that it has suspended flights after an Iranian drone attack sparked a huge fire.

Dubai International Airport has announced that it has suspended flights after an Iranian drone attack sparked a huge fire.

The drone smashed into a fuel tank, sending flames and smoke pouring into the sky

Many Emirates flights already in the air were diverted, while others waiting to take off were cancelled.

Five flights from UK airports had to return to their points of origin, including a journey from Edinburgh which had made it as far Egyptian airspace before turning back.

The airport which is the world’s second-busiest, was shuttered just before 5.30am local time (1.30am GMT).

GBNews reports: A statement confirmed it was closed as a “precautionary measure to ensure the safety of all passengers and staff”.

Emirates, the UAE’s flag-carrier airline, warned all travellers not to go to DXB.

“Please do not go to the airport,” it said.

“The safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority and will not be compromised.”

A later update from the airport itself revealed that the Iranian drone had smashed into a fuel tank nearby.

Then, Dubai Civil Defence teams confirmed the situation “remains under control, with no spread of the fire”.

No injuries were reported in the attack.

Data from flight tracking site FlightRadar24 showed how the airport had been completely taken out of action by the strike.

Just one flight was in the air over Dubai at 7.30am – typically the height of its peak early morning rush – and from the much smaller Sharjah International Airport.

Some flights were diverted to Al Maktoum airport in the southwest of the city, though it remains unclear exactly how many.

One, an Emirates A380, had flown all the way from Tokyo before DXB was shut. That flight eventually came into land at Al Maktoum.

It was one of multiple international flights to have been forced into a holding pattern off the coast of Oman.