After brief shutdown, Dubai Airport partially resumes operations

Dubai airport, the world's busiest for international traffic, suspended operations Saturday before partially resuming services, after an air defence interception in the area during attacks from Iran.

"We have partially resumed operations from today, 7 March, with some flights operating out of DXB and DWC," it said, referring to Dubai's main airport as well as the city's Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International.

"Please do not travel to the airport unless you have been contacted by your airline that your flight is confirmed, as schedules continue to change," it told passengers.

Earlier, the government had said operations had been suspended after the aerial interception of an object near the airport, with a witness telling AFP of a loud explosion followed by a cloud of smoke.

"For the safety of passengers, airport staff, and airline crew, operations at Dubai International (DXB) have been temporarily suspended," the government's Dubai Media Office said in a social media post.

The government said in a separate post that there had been "a minor incident resulting from the fall of debris after an interception", which caused no injuries.

"The air defences of the United Arab Emirates are currently responding to missile and drone threats coming from Iran," the Emirati Ministry of Defence had said, without specifying the targets of the attacks.

After the airport reopened around 2 pm, Emirates has officially confirmed that it has resumed operations. The airline has urged passengers with confirmed bookings for this afternoon’s flights to proceed to the airport. This includes customers transiting in Dubai, provided their connecting flights are also operating.

Limited flights resumed from Dubai's main airport on March 2 amid Iran’s strike on US military bases in the UAE and other Middle East nations. Dubai Media Office described "a minor incident resulting from the fall of debris after an interception" in a post on X.

AFP journalists heard explosions in Dubai and Bahrain's capital, Manama, on Saturday, one week into Iran's retaliatory attacks on targets around the Gulf.

A warning siren sounded in Manama, with Bahrain's interior ministry urging residents in an X post to "head to the nearest safe place".