Geopolitical tension in the Middle East have a short, limited impact on travel through Dubai International Airport and are largely compensated for by strong growth in other regions of the hub's vast network, its operator said.
Passenger traffic through the world's biggest international airport remains “robust”. alongside growth in markets such as China, Russia, Turkey and Egypt, Paul Griffiths, Dubai Airports' chief executive, said in an interview.
“Where we've had direct political tension in specific countries, yes, we have seen a reduction, but because we have so many destinations now, those countries represent normally less than 2 per cent of total traffic,” he said.
“So if there is a bit of slowing down in those markets, it's not really noticeable in the overall numbers.”
Geopolitical tension in the Middle East have been continuing, with US President Donald Trump saying on Tuesday that if no deal is reached with Iran, the US will do “something very tough”.
Mr Trump also reportedly said he is considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East, even as Washington and Tehran prepare to resume negotiations aimed at avoiding a new conflict.
Dubai International Airport's operations are resilient, stable and “well-spread”, making its overall traffic numbers robust, Mr Griffiths said.
It handled a record 95.2 million passengers last year, up 3.1 per cent annually, amid stronger demand across several major markets. Traffic from China increased 16.6 per cent to 2.5 million, Russia grew 6 per cent to 2.8 million, Turkey rose 6.7 per cent to 2.2 million, Egypt expanded 14.3 per cent to 1.8 million, and Italy climbed 12.5 per cent to 1.6 million.
“We keep breaking records every year. We don't seem to be too badly affected by the geopolitical situation and I hope that will continue,” Mr Griffiths said.
“If we do see ebb and flow from different regions, then it's usually compensated by strong growth in other regions.”
Any dents in passenger traffic are “very short-lived” and normal service is usually restored “very quickly”, he added.
“Dubai is a very important trading partner with all of those markets and we will continue to encourage a return to normal as soon as possible,” Mr Griffiths said.
Asked how the tense political climate in the US and Mr Trump's tough immigration policies are impacting travel demand, Mr Griffiths said US traffic is “still robust” and remains DXB's fifth largest market with 3.3 million passengers during 2025.
“The US remains a top destination, it's been an area of huge expansion over the last 15 years, with more and more flights being added,” he said. “In the long term, we think it will continue to be an incredibly important market for us.”
DXB's home carrier Emirates currently flies 11 routes to the US.
On Wednesday, Dubai Airports forecast that it expects to welcome 99.5 million passengers in 2026. However, the Dubai Airports chief offered a more bullish outlook.
“Our forecasts are always reasonably conservative, so I hope that towards the end of the year we will be saying it looks more like 100 million,” he said.
