- H1 aircraft movements dip 32%
- June guest numbers recover to 5m
- Confidence hit, no ‘demand collapse’
Passenger numbers at Dubai International Airport (DXB) fell nearly a third in the first half of the year, as the US-Iran war disrupted flights and weighed on hotel occupancy.
There were 31.5 million passengers transiting the airport in the period, while aircraft movements at DXB dropped 32 percent year on year to just over 150,000.
Cargo volumes fell 29 percent to around 750,000 tonnes, according to Dubai Airports’ half-year results. The airport was served by almost 50 international airlines flying to 217 destinations in 99 countries.
The picture improved through the second quarter. Guest volumes climbed from 3.5 million in April to 4.5 million in May and 5 million in June, as capacity returned and airlines restored schedules.
Dubai Airports chief executive Paul Griffiths called the first half a test of “every part of the aviation system”. He said capacity is “steadily” returning, but was below the start of 2026.
The number of entry permits issued across the UAE fell from 1.94 million in February to 647,944 in April – a drop of two thirds – before climbing back to 1 million by July, still well short of pre-war levels, data from the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP) showed.
The ICP figures cover the whole UAE, including Dubai, and span every category of entry permit, not just tourism – so the read-across should be treated as indicative rather than definitive. But the trajectory tracks closely with aviation and hotel numbers.
Hotel operators felt the impact. Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt cited the war for double-digit declines in revenue per available room in the Middle East during the second quarter. Accor broke out the UAE specifically: chief financial officer Martine Gerow said activity there was down about 80 percent year on year in April, recovering to a 40-45 percent decline by June.
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“Average room rates are holding up to a point,” Philip Wooller, senior director for the Middle East and Africa at hospitality data firm STR, told AGBI this month. “But Dubai is one of the biggest hotel markets in the world so average daily rates are under pressure.”
The jobs numbers follow a similar pattern. The World Travel & Tourism Council forecast the UAE will lose 46,000 tourism roles this year, part of a wider 137,000 across the Gulf, as Middle East travel and tourism activity contracts 14.5 percent – the only region expected to shrink in 2026.
Even so, forecasters and hoteliers distinguish between demand collapse and a confidence problem.
“This was a temporary aviation and confidence-led disruption, not a demand collapse,” Hala Matar Choufany, Middle East and Africa president at HVS, told AGBI. “The Gulf isn’t facing a demand problem so much as a confidence and connectivity one, and those recover far faster.”