Flights halted at Dubai airport following aircraft interception

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Dubai International Airport

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Dubai airport, the world’s busiest for international traffic, suspended operations on Saturday after an aerial interception in the area during attacks from Iran.

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“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.

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The announcement came shortly 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.

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The Flightradar24 tracking website earlier showed planes circling above the airport in an apparent holding pattern.

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Flights from Dubai’s main airport had partially resumed on Monday despite daily drone attacks targeting sites in the United Arab Emirates.

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Emirates, the largest airline in the Middle East, also announced on Saturday that it was suspending all its flights to and from Dubai until further notice.

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“Please do not go to the airport,” the airline said.

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

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It also denied “information circulating on social media regarding incidents at Dubai International Airport”, without elaborating.

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

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Last Saturday, four employees were injured and a terminal was damaged at Dubai airport as war broke out in the Middle East following US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

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Operator Dubai Airports said at the time that the incident had been “quickly brought under control”, without providing details.

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Iranian attacks have also hit Abu Dhabi airport, the upmarket Palm Jumeirah development and the Burj Al Arab luxury hotel, while drone debris caused a fire at the US consulate in Dubai on Tuesday.

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AFP

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