Thousands of Emirates passengers endure ‘flights to nowhere’ after drone strike shuts Dubai airport
March 16, 2026
Thousands of Emirates passengers found themselves on “flights to nowhere” after a drone strike forced the temporary shutdown of Dubai International Airport, triggering diversions and mid-air turnarounds across the airline’s global network.
The disruption began early Monday when a drone strike ignited a fuel tank fire near the airport, forcing authorities to suspend flight operations for several hours as a precaution. Flights resumed gradually once emergency crews brought the fire under control.
As Dubai officials halted operations to ensure passenger and staff safety, airlines scrambled to adjust their schedules and to manage flights en route.
According to flight-tracking data shared by Flightradar24, aircraft approaching Dubai began holding, diverting or turning back as the airport closure spread disruption across Europe, Asia and Africa.
At least some of the diverted Emirates flights are returning to their origins. pic.twitter.com/WsrnyYYhhc
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) March 16, 2026
Emirates long-haul flights forced to turn back mid-journey
For many passengers, overnight long-haul journeys turned into exhausting round-trips with no destination.
Flight data show the shutdown triggered at least 65 flight diversions across 34 airports, with 22 flights returning to their departure airports rather than reaching Dubai.
- Paris–Dubai flight EK76, operated by an Airbus A380, spent more than 10 hours in the air before returning to Paris.
- Flights from Manchester, Edinburgh and Dublin also abandoned their journeys and returned to Europe after flying thousands of miles.
- Other aircraft diverted to airports in the region, including Al Maktoum International, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Karachi.
This follows a recent 16-hour Virgin Atlantic flight to nowhere, after Dubai-bound VS400 was forced to return to London when the threat level suddenly increased six hours into the planned seven-hour journey. The incident prompted Virgin Atlantic to suspend its Dubai and Riyadh service.
Dubai airport shutdown triggers global flight disruption
Dubai International is the central hub for Emirates and one of the world’s major aviation crossroads. The airport handled more than 95 million passengers last year, making it the busiest airport in the world for international travellers. Even a short shutdown in Dubai can scatter aircraft across multiple continents, creating knock-on disruption.
Monday’s drone strike marks the third attack on Dubai Airport since Iran first targeted Gulf nations on February 28, aiming for US forces in the region. The strike near Dubai airport temporarily halted flights, but resulted in no injuries. Authorities later confirmed operations would resume gradually while airlines worked to restore schedules. Emirates said it would operate a limited schedule after 10:00 am on Monday.
At the time of writing, Dubai Airport still shows as the world’s second most disrupted airport on FlightRadar24, though only four flights are cancelled and four delayed, representing 36% of the schedule, with an average delay of 88 minutes.
The Middle East conflict continues to disrupt aviation
The incident at Dubai Airport early on Monday is the latest shock for global commercial aviation as regional tensions escalate across the Middle East.Drone and missile attacks linked to the ongoing conflict between the US, Israel and Iran have repeatedly disrupted aviation in the Gulf since late February, forcing airlines to reroute flights and suspend services.
Featured Image: Emirates
