West Asia war: Flights suspended at Dubai Airport after drone hit causes fire

A fire broke out near Dubai International Airport on Monday after a drone crashed into a fuel tank prompting authorities to temporarily suspend all flights as a precautionary safety measure IANS reportedOfficials said that the emergency response teams quickly reached the site and worked to contain the blaze No injuries were reported during the incidentIn a statement posted on social media Dubai Airports stated that flights at the airport commonly known by its code DXB were suspended to ensure the safety of passengers and staffThe Dubai Civil Aviation Authority advised travellers to contact their respective airlines for the latest updates regarding their flightsFlights at DXB are temporarily suspended as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of all passengers and staff Please contact your airlines for the latest flight updates Further updates will be shared as they become availablemdash DXB DXB March 16 2026Authorities said further announcements would be made through official channels once normal operations could resumeEmergency teams contain blazeAccording to officials Dubai Civil Defence crews were immediately deployed to tackle the fire as per the IANSThe blaze which affected a fuel tank near the airport area was successfully brought under control Authorities have not yet provided details about the dronersquos origin or the extent of the damageEmirates flight returns to KochiMeanwhile an Emirates flight travelling from Kochi to Dubai had to return to its departure airport after the sudden suspension of operations according to the IANSFlight EK533 which departed from Cochin International Airport at around 430 am was carrying 325 passengers when it was instructed to turn back following the closure of the Dubai airportAir India cancels flightsFollowing the incident theAir India and Air India Express cancelled all flights to and from Dubai for the day due to operational constraints the airline said in a statementThe airline has offered affected passengers the option to rebook their travel to a future date or cancel their tickets for a full refund at no additional costMeanwhile Air India Express said its adhoc flight operations to and from Abu Dhabi Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah will continue as scheduledThe airline added that its teams are working to assist passengers and ensure that stranded travellers are brought home safely at the earliest opportunityIncident amid regional tensionsThe drone incident comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East following the conflict involving Iran United States and Israel which began on February 28Officials in the United Arab Emirates said air defence systems have intercepted more than 1500 drones and missiles since the start of the conflict making the UAE one of the most targeted countries in the regionEarlier debris from an intercepted drone had caused a fire in Fujairah another emirate of the UAE though no injuries were reportedCasualties reported since conflict beganAccording to the UAE Ministry of Defence six deaths have been reported since the conflict began including four civilians and two military personnelOfficials said the two soldiers died in a helicopter crash caused by a technical issuewith IANS inputs