Drone strike near Dubai airport forces flight suspensions and diversions

Dubai's media office said early Monday there had been a "drone incident in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport (DXB)" that struck a fuel tank and caused a fire. By about 5:10 a.m. local time the office said the fire had been contained and no injuries were reported.

DXB temporarily suspended all flights as a precaution to ensure safety, and Emirates warned passengers: "All flights to and from Dubai have been temporarily suspended. Please do not go to the airport." Dubai Airports said some flights were being diverted to Al Maktoum International.

FlightRadar24 posted that aircraft already in Dubai airspace were heading to Al Maktoum, and showed Emirates flights from the UK and India making U-turns and returning to their origin airports. The incident adds to weeks of disruption to UAE airspace following US and Israel strikes on Iran on February 28 and Iran's subsequent retaliatory strikes.

United Arab Emirates, Dubai

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