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  "path": "/2026/03/16/drone-strike-hits-fuel-tank-near-dubai-airport-grounding-flights-27463688/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-16T08:10:37.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "News",
    "World",
    "Dubai",
    "Iran war",
    "Middle East",
    "supports HTML5 video",
    "Civil Aviation Authority",
    "Iran",
    "British Airways",
    "would not run flights to or from Dubai",
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    "missile hit Dubai Airport",
    "four people were injured",
    "**check our news page**",
    "Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source"
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  "textContent": "To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video\n\nUp Next\n\nPrevious Page\n\nNext Page\n\nFlights from Dubai Airport were suspended for several hours overnight after a drone attack caused a fuel tank to burst into flames.\n\nImages from the scene show thick smoke reaching into the sky in the early hours of this morning.\n\nDubai’s Civil Aviation Authority announced the temporary suspension at around 1.30am ‘as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of all passengers and staff’.\n\nSeveral planes were diverted to Al Maktoum International Airport, southwest of the city.\n\nShortly after 6am, Dubai Airports confirmed in a post on X that flights to and from the hub were ‘gradually resuming to selected destinations’.\n\nIt said: ‘Please check with your airlines for the latest updates regarding your flights.’\n\nAlmost all arrivals for the rest of the day have been delayed or given a new time, according to information on the airport’s website.\n\nDubai International is the busiest airport in the Middle East and the busiest in the world for international passenger traffic.\n\nLast year, 95.2 million people passed through the hub, and numbers were predicted to approach 100 million in 2026.\n\nFlights are gradually resuming from the airport (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)\n\nHowever, the war in Iran has had a significant impact on travel in the region.\n\nBritish Airways announced earlier this month it would not run flights to or from Dubai – one of its most popular destinations – until at least the end of March.\n\nIn a post on social media, the airline said the decision was taken due to ‘the continuing uncertainly of the situation in the Middle East and airspace instability’.\n\nWithin hours of the war beginning on February 28, a missile hit Dubai Airport injuring four people and damaging a concourse.\n\nA further four people were injured last Wednesday when two drones fell in the vicinity of the airport.\n\n******Get in touch with our news team by emailing us atwebnews@metro.co.uk.******\n\n**For more stories like this,****check our news page**.\n\nComment now Comments  Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source ",
  "title": "Drone strike hits fuel tank near Dubai Airport grounding flights"
}