Passengers were hurriedly evacuated from one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday after reports of an Iranian attack. The Iranian government targeted tourist hubs in the U.S.-friendly Gulf state, which are generally seen as safe and upscale destinations.
Dramatic footage shows people fleeing a smoke-filled hallway littered with furniture and debris at Dubai International Airport, with authorities confirming four staff members were injured.
A few hours later, there was an explosion near the airport, sending thick black smoke into the air. It was part of a new round of attacks by Iran that spread across the Middle East on Sunday after the country’s supreme leader was killed in a U.S. and Israeli strike.
The weekend attacks have caused travel disruption around the world, with airlines canceling flights through key Middle Eastern hubs that are home to U.S. military bases and targets of Iranian retaliation.
CNN’s reporting team reported Sunday that explosions occurred in several capitals and major cities, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Manama, Bahrain.
A wide corridor over the Middle East was shut down this weekend as neighboring countries restricted air travel.
Dubai is the largest tourism and trade center in the Middle East. This airport is one of the busiest in the world and serves as the home base for Emirates Airlines.
Major international airlines have suspended all flights to and from Dubai until 3pm local time on Monday.
UAE airports have established themselves as important hubs for connecting flights around the world. Last year, the Dubai and Abu Dhabi hubs handled a combined 127.7 million passengers, according to official figures.
Footage reviewed by CNN after the first incident at Dubai International Airport early Sunday morning shows a passenger in a blood-splattered shirt pressing a tissue to his head while other passengers rush alongside the traveler and a voice can be heard saying, “Go home, don’t stay here.”
Dubai Airports told CNN that the airport’s concourse sustained “minor damage” and that emergency response teams were “immediately deployed” during Sunday’s evacuation. Four staff members were injured.
Passengers at the airport said they were given hotel vouchers for potentially long waits in Dubai. Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu of India was among those caught up in the chaos at the airport on her way to the British Open Badminton Championships in Britain.
“My coach was the closest to the smoke and debris and had to flee the scene immediately. It was a very tense and frightening moment for all of us,” she told X.
In Dubai’s upscale Palm Jumeirah area, the emirate’s global symbol of luxury and tranquility, footage reviewed by CNN shows the moment an explosion hits the Fairmont Hotel and the drone plummets toward the ground, before the hotel bursts into flames.
By evening, police had cordoned off the scene and crews removed shattered glass from the street. Parts of the building’s facade were blackened and visibly damaged.
Derek Thompson, a Scottish tourist staying at the hotel, said he was having dinner with his family around 6.30pm on Saturday when he heard a large explosion.
“It was just a crazy explosion, so we just evacuated,” he said. “I thought it would come again, so I went to the beach to escape from the building that might collapse.”
After returning to their room and smelling the smoke, the family packed their bags and checked out early. With airspace closed, leaving the country was no longer an option.
Mr Thompson said he had been observing tensions in the region but never imagined Dubai would be directly affected. His wife Victoria, a frequent visitor to the city, said the experience was terrifying and she was now unsure when she would feel safe returning.
Will Bailey, from the UK, was relaxing at a nearby beach club when he saw a missile intercepted overhead.
“Oh, it was on top of a beach club. Literally right above us…so loud,” he said on Instagram in a poolside video that captured smoke billowing overhead.
Elsewhere in the UAE, another drone attack at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, another key international gateway, left one person dead and seven injured, the airport said in a statement on social media.
Dubai on Sunday was almost unrecognizable.
On winter weekends, peak tourist season, the city’s beaches, shopping malls, and hotel brunches are usually packed. Instead, the highways were mostly empty and the skies were devoid of the constant stream of planes taking off and landing.
For many residents, it felt like a repeat of the coronavirus lockdown six years ago, when one of the world’s busiest transportation hubs suddenly went quiet. Schools moved online and families stayed indoors.
“It’s like the coronavirus days: quiet, sunny, birds chirping, no traffic, no planes,” said Paul Devitt, a CNN videographer in Abu Dhabi.
Some residents rushed to supermarkets to stock up. Grocery delivery apps reported delays as demand surged. The streets were empty, even in areas that are usually crowded into the evening.
With the UAE’s airspace closed, some people drove to quieter parts of the country. In Hatta, near the Omani border, at least one hotel turned a conference room into a makeshift shelter for tourists who checked out but were unable to fly home. Some of the newly arrived guests were said to be relocating their families from hard-hit areas of Dubai.
Some crossed overland to Oman, the only country in the region unaffected by Saturday’s Iranian attack, at least initially. But on Sunday, Omani authorities announced that two drones had targeted the country’s ports.
Dubai, a city that prides itself on safety and stability, has no public air raid shelters. Many residents instead spent the night in underground parking lots. Parents shielded their anxious children from the reality of an explosion overhead.
Several people told their young sons and daughters that the explosions were either Ramadan fireworks or cannons, traditionally celebrated during iftar in Muslim countries.
“We told our six-year-old that today was a Ramadan fireworks celebration because it exploded so close to our heads,” David said. “When there’s really big smoke, I run outside with my camera to photograph the smoke trail, and she giggles and says, ‘Oh, that was great.'”
Qatar and Bahrain also came under attack, shattering the kingdom’s sophisticated image as a luxurious haven in a volatile region.
Varun Krishnan said there were “long queues” at Qatar’s Doha airport all night until Sunday with families, children and elderly people affected by the airspace closure.
“There was chaos at Doha airport where we were asked to wait for a bus to the hotel,” he told X while sharing a video of the packed terminal.
In Qatar, a missile was intercepted over the capital, and Bahrain International Airport officials said a drone attack damaged the facility.
Bahrain’s interior ministry said the airstrike caused “no loss of life but property damage”, adding that authorities were securing the scene.
Video located and verified by CNN shows a massive fire breaking out at a high-rise residential building in Bahrain’s capital Manama on Saturday, and smoke rising from near the city’s Crowne Plaza Hotel on Sunday.
Dubai Airports confirmed that all flights to and from the city’s two main airports have been suspended until further notice.
“Passengers are advised not to go to the airport at this time and to contact their respective airlines directly for the latest information regarding their flights,” Dubai Media Office said.
Etihad Airways has suspended all flights to and from Abu Dhabi until Monday morning due to regional airspace closures.
Qatar Airways said its operations remain temporarily suspended and an update will be provided by 9am on Monday, while Singapore Airlines has canceled its Singapore-Dubai flights until March 7.
Virgin Atlantic announced on Saturday that it would cancel flights from London Heathrow to Dubai and temporarily avoid Iraqi airspace as a “precautionary measure”.
Lufthansa has confirmed the cancellation of flights to and from Tel Aviv, Israel, citing the safety of passengers and crew.
British Airways has announced that it will suspend flights to and from Tel Aviv and Bahrain for several days.
Karina Tsui and Eleni Giokos contributed to this report.
