Dubai plans underground fuel tanks at new airport after Iran strikes

Summary

• Dubai Airports plans to move fuel tanks underground at its new airport after wartime strikes
• Above-ground tanks at DXB were hit during the Iran conflict, halting operations
• Expansion for 250 million passengers a year proceeds unchanged, the chief executive said

The latest

Critical infrastructure at Dubai's multibillion-dollar new airport, including fuel tanks, may be built underground to shield it from future drone or missile attacks, chief executive Paul Griffiths of Dubai Airports told the Financial Times in an interview published on 11 September 2026. Other areas may need additional hardening. He said the project's scale would not be reduced because of the war.

Details

• The design shift: Griffiths said important infrastructure such as fuel tanks could be stored below ground at the new airport site, while other zones may require further fortification to become more resilient against possible future activity. He described the calculation as balancing the probability of an attack against its consequences.
• Why it matters: Above-ground fuel tanks at Dubai International Airport were struck at the peak of the war between Iran on one side and the United States and Israel on the other, forcing the airport to suspend operations. Griffiths said flights resumed within a single hour.
• Expansion unchanged: The larger project, costing billions of dollars and designed for 250 million passengers a year, will not be scaled back, Griffiths said. His shortest conversation with chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum was on whether the war altered long-term strategy, and the answer was "no".
• The alert record: Griffiths said immediate coordination with authorities and the military allowed strikes to be anticipated and passengers moved to underground locations. Of 111 alerts, he said only 17 strikes landed, most of them superficial, with no deaths recorded at the airport.
• The toll: Areas of Dubai, including sites near the airport, were hit by drones and ballistic missiles in the opening weeks of the conflict, which began in late February. The fighting left hundreds injured and more than ten dead across the United Arab Emirates.
• Airline disruption: Emirates grounded its entire fleet when the war broke out, resuming within days through narrow air corridors escorted by Emirati military aircraft. More than 50 carriers have since returned, including Air France, and British Airways restarts Dubai flights at the start of the winter season in October.
• The numbers: Passenger traffic through Dubai fell by a third in the first half of the year, dropping from 7.4 million in February to 2.5 million in March and 3.5 million in April, before recovering to 4.5 million in May, 5 million in June and 6.3 million in July.
• Ranking lost: The airport dropped out of the world's five largest international airports in the first half, after holding first place for a decade. Griffiths said 78% of passengers have returned, projected full recovery early next year and a return to the busiest international title in 2027, citing aircraft reassigned to full Europe-Asia routes for some carriers' delays.

Background

The war between Iran on one side and the United States and Israel on the other broke out in late February 2026. The interview was Griffiths' first with a newspaper since the conflict began.

Between the lines

The hardening plans and the refusal to scale back are two sides of one calculation: Griffiths framed the decision as weighing attack probability against consequences, and the record he cited — 17 strikes from 111 alerts, mostly superficial, no airport deaths, operations back within an hour — supports treating the threat as survivable rather than disqualifying. Traffic rebuilding month by month since March underpins the 2027 recovery projection.

What's next

British Airways resumes Dubai flights at the start of the winter season in October. Monthly passenger figures will test Griffiths' forecast of full recovery early next year and a return to the top international ranking in 2027.

Source: Financial Times