Authorities have confirmed that a “drone incident” affecting a large fuel tank occurred at Dubai International Airport (DXB) in the early hours of Monday morning. A large fire has been seen burning in the vicinity of the airfield, although officials say no injuries have been reported at this time.
Airspace over Dubai was closed, and passengers and staff inside the airport were ordered to shelter in place, while the threat from Iranian kamikaze drones and ballistic missiles threatened the city.
Large fire reported in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport after an Iranian drone attack tonight. pic.twitter.com/XmIvEq2KTu
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 16, 2026
Despite efforts by Dubai police and prosecutors to stop any eyewitness video or photos emerging of Iranian attacks on the city, several videos of a large fire burning at the airport have already been posted on social media.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the official government communication department, known as the Dubai Media Office, confirmed the incident, saying: “A drone incident in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport (DXB) affected one of the fuel tanks.”
A second statement added: “Civil Defence teams continue their efforts to bring the fire under control. No injuries have been reported so far.”
A drone incident in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport (DXB) affected one of the fuel tanks. Dubai Civil Defence teams are currently working to bring the fire under control. No injuries have been reported so far.
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) March 16, 2026
The incident occurred just after 3 am (local time) on March 16. There were initial indications that Dubai International Airport would be reopened, but the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority later ordered the suspension of all flights at the airport as a “precautionary measure.”
Given the scale of operations at Dubai International Airport, multiple flights that had been circling off the UAE coast have been diverted to other airports across the region, as authorities move to clear the skies as quickly as possible.
Dubai’s hometown mega airline, Emirates, has led Persian Gulf carriers in attempting to rebuild its network, with the airline now operating just over 60% of its pre-war schedule.
Insiders had claimed that Emirates was targeting a 100% return to pre-war capacity by March 29, although it remains to be seen whether Monday morning’s incident could drastically affect those plans.
A drone attack at Dubai International Airport was reported recently.#Dubai pic.twitter.com/ZSC2e8TxW6
— XULFIQAR (@Xulfiqarkazmi) March 16, 2026
On Sunday, Iranian media have warned people living in Dubai to avoid ports across the emirate as these would be subject to drone and missile attack. At the time, many people believed this just referred to seaports, although Dubai International Airport has seemingly been the target of several other attacks.
Within hours of the Iran War starting on February 28, what is believed to have been an Iranian drone struck the roof of Terminal 3, causing damage to the concourse and injuring at least four people.
Last Saturday, another drone appeared to have exploded in the vicinity of Terminal 3 and close to a parked Emirates aircraft. Four people were also injured in this incident.
After this incident, Emirates stopped giving public status updates on the progress it was making to restore its schedule, but those efforts did still continue unabated.
Passengers are now able to book Emirates flights as normal and connect through Dubai just like they did before the start of the Iran War.
This weekend, however, the Australian government felt compelled to advise its citizens not to use Dubai as a transit destination, as the United Arab Emirates is currently under a ‘DO NOT TRAVEL’ advisory.
On Saturday, Kuwaiti authorities also announced that an Iranian drone had struck a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, while Bahrain’s airport in Manama has also been repeatedly targeted by Iranian drones.
All operations at the airports in Kuwait and Bahrain have been suspended since February 29, while Qatar is only allowing a handful of flights to depart and arrive at Doha Hamad International Airport each day.
In contrast, Emirates and its sister carrier, FlyDubai, operated a combined total of 452 flights to and from Dubai International Airport on March 13.
