Passenger movement through Dubai International Airport (DXB) may decline by up to 25 per cent during this year’s Eid Al Adha holiday period compared with 2025, as the ongoing Iran conflict continues to impact regional aviation activity.
During last year’s Eid holiday, DXB recorded more than 305,000 travellers on its busiest days. However, despite ongoing efforts by Dubai Airports to restore operational capacity, this year’s holiday traffic is expected to remain below typical seasonal levels, according to an aviation industry analyst.
“Emirates and flydubai will manage as much demand as possible, but they cannot fully replace the missing frequencies from dozens of international airlines,” said Linus Bauer, founder of consultancy BAA & Partners. “The shortfall remains significant.”
The Eid Al Adha public holiday this year is scheduled from May 25 to May 29 for government employees.
Passenger traffic at the airport has been steadily improving since the conflict began on February 28.
Dubai Airports said in April that traveller volumes had dropped by nearly two-thirds during the peak of the disruption, while first-quarter passenger traffic fell 20 per cent year-on-year.
Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports, said the operator was “acting swiftly to restore operations at scale”. Although Emirates is approaching full network recovery, several major international carriers are yet to resume services, including British Airways, which plans to restart limited operations from June 1.
By the close of 2025, DXB had links to 291 destinations across 110 countries through 108 international airlines. Dubai Airports stated that the hub currently hosts 51 international carriers operating flights to more than 190 destinations.
“When corporate travel teams shift routes to Doha or Abu Dhabi during periods of instability, those travel patterns do not automatically return once airspace restrictions ease,” Bauer said. “Operationally, the disruption may be easing, but rebuilding commercial momentum will take longer.”
