Dubai Airports is considering storing fuel tanks and other critical infrastructure underground as part of plans to make its airports more resilient to possible future drone and missile strikes.

Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports, said parts of the new airport infrastructure could be reinforced or moved underground to reduce the impact of potential attacks.

The plans are being considered recently as Dubai presses ahead with a multibillion-dollar expansion of its new airport, which is designed to handle up to 250 million passengers a year. Griffiths said the conflict involving Iran, the US and Israel would not alter the long-term expansion strategy.

Fuel tanks at Dubai International Airport (DXB), which are above ground, were hit during the conflict, forcing a temporary suspension of operations. Griffiths said flights resumed within an hour and maintained that airport operations remained safe.

He said the airport worked closely with UAE authorities and the military to respond to strike alerts, allowing passengers to be moved to underground areas when necessary. No deaths were reported at the airport during the conflict, he said.

Passenger traffic at DXB fell sharply after the outbreak of the conflict, dropping from 7.4 million travellers in February to 2.5 million in March. Numbers subsequently recovered, reaching 6.3 million in July.

Griffiths said 78 per cent of DXB’s travellers had now returned and expected passenger traffic to fully recover in the early part of next year. More than 50 airlines have resumed services, while British Airways is due to restart Dubai flights in October.

Dubai International Airport was the world’s busiest international airport for much of the past decade, but its passenger numbers fell significantly during the first half of the year as conflict disrupted air travel across the region.

Source: Financial Times